Distinguishing Distractions
by fyrewoode
Summary: Eureka S4 After risking her life for someone who doesn't trust her, Jo must discover why and deal with the problem before her mistakes expose the time travelers and everyone they love to horrible consequences.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, again! Despite the appearance of this opening chapter, this is NOT an AU fiction. I wanted it to be as cannon as possible (with some allowances here and there). So please just read on a bit through this dream like sequence. Thanks so much! :)

SESSION ONE:

Jo was sitting in her living room with all her friends around her. They were all watching the Bachelor hand out roses. It was down to the last rose of the evening when the programming switched to a commercial. Greasy, cheese-laden pizza filled up the whole screen. It spun and tilted, the camera zooming in and out.

Suddenly, Jo felt sick. She rushed for the bathroom, barely making it when she lost her dinner.

"Jo, are you okay?" Allison asked. Ever the mother, she touched a cool hand to Jo's forehead.

She shook her head and her stomach heaved again. And then she felt it, even though there was no real way to tell. That soft flickering presence could not be denied.

"I'm pregnant." Jo panted. "It's Zane's." She could see her friends' reactions to the revelation that without some quick thinking, their lives had very audibly begun ticking down.

Soon, there would be no way to hide it. She would show. People would know.

"Oh, how wonderful! How far along are you? Who's the father?"

And Jo couldn't tell the truth.

"But doesn't he have a right to know? Zane's the father."

Jo shook her head fiercely. "Biologically, only, as far as this one is concerned." How would _that_ conversation go?

"I never asked for this. It's not my problem. _You_ figure it out." Zane could be such a child at times. "You're not going to make an honest man out of me!" He could be so mean.

But Jo was terrified for the life of her child. Zane would know how to keep them safe. He could write new lives for all of them, lives no one would ever question. They could run before Mansfield was on to them. They could start over someplace else. Zane would teach high school physics. Jo would stay at home and decorate the baby's room. Blue, for a beautiful boy with Zane's eyes and her nose.

Zane didn't want that. Zane didn't deserve that. He hated Lupo for trying to make him live like that. He wished Mansfield had caught them and sent them all to prison. There, Jo's head was shaved and she was alone in a cell for _ages._ Everything was grey and no one ever heard her cry.

Mansfield came and they tied her down to a cold table.

"You can't _do_ this! What about my baby?" No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free. She couldn't stop them from sticking needles up her arms.

She couldn't stop them from pushing the plungers down. She couldn't stop Zane from hating every beat of her heart even as she and their baby died. She couldn't even die before the tiny rapid beat slowed and stopped altogether.

"GAH!" Jo jerked upright in bed and sucked in air. Winded like she'd just run an Iron Man marathon, she swiped the visor off her eyes. Beverly's VR therapy aid fell to the bedspread as Jo hurried to the bathroom to be sick for real.

Panting over the toilet, she had to admit there were worse reasons to be sick than a hangover.


	2. Chapter 2

It's a wonderful thing Jo had the perfect job. Otherwise she might have found herself distracted to be in the same room with Zane Donovan.

"Run! It's gonna blow!"

Jo caught the faint scent of gas and sprang into action.

"Get down!" she called as she grabbed a body and dove behind a desk. "Everybody down!"

The explosion shattered the joining glass wall and knocked everything to the floor.

It took forever for those two seconds to tick away. Smoke billowed and ears rung. Glass coated everything. Debris turned shrapnel stuck out of every exposed surface.

"Jeez, Lupo, when you cop a feel, you don't mess around." Jo had landed on top of the person she'd grabbed. Her face only inches from Zane's. Surprise was certainly on the forefront of her mind but Zane's hands sliding around her waist told her he was invested in a different avenue of thought.

"Could you move? I need my arm." Jo winced. Her arm was wedged in the open space under the desk near Zane's head. He looked at her arm and saw a shaft of metal debris pointed at him. She'd been kabob-ed.

Zane just stared at her, in shock. "Holy shit, Jo. Are you okay?"

"Do I _look_ like I should be okay?" She held up her arm to see glass, metal, and even a pencil sticking out of her forearm. A scientist fainted. "Someone check on him."

"If I hadn't seen you dive for cover, I never would have ducked." Dr. Karl huffed as med teams came sprinting into view. Dr. Karl was partially deaf. "You saved our lives."

"Yeah. You did." There was a note of disbelief in Zane's voice. Maybe a hit of accusation.

The wound was minor. Most of the damage was superficial. The real fun started when they began removing glass. Thanks to the painkillers it was just an insistent ache and burn while they tentatively plucked and pulled. Jo growled at the male nurse and grabbed hold of the metal shaft herself. She asked which direction to pull and it was out before they answered.

Jo heard a few gasp as she closed her eyes and felt the burn and throbbing pain peak.

"I guess I can work a half-day today." Jo bobbed her head glibly.

Refocusing, she concentrated on her next task. The day wasn't over yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Almost ten hours later, Jo flopped back in her work chair and covered her burning eyes. The additional painkillers had dulled her arm to a minor throbbing annoyance. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for some GD employees.

"Rest of the day that good, huh?"

Jo looked up to see Zane standing in her doorway. "Yeah, just about. Why are you still here?"

"I rode my bike in today." He dropped his head as he admitted to it; playing it up with a meek expression. "I'm still a little… unsteady." He gave a slight smile as he spoke, daring her to call him on the obvious lie.

Jo considered the situation. Because of the meds, it was a very short thought process: Zane was lying. She needed someone to drive her home. She still had to call Carter to come pick her up when he found the time. It was late, time to go anyway. Besides, it's not like spending time alone with Zane when he so obviously had an ulterior motive would be at all uncomfortable.

Jo tried not to slam her bag on her desk.

"Feeling okay, champ?"

"Fine." Jo winced. She reminded herself that she was aloof from Zane. He meant nothing to her. They were just casual co-workers and he was offering her a ride home. Whatever his underlying motives. "You hungry?"

Zane nodded as he fell into step beside her. "You?"

"I could go for a bite." Jo inwardly smirked at her own clever joke. Zane had said that once to her. i_God forbid you have to commit to a full meal./i_

Zane slid easily into the driver's seat of her car. They ordered some take-out from Café Diem during the full press and clamor. Grace and Henry were playing checkers by the fireplace. Fargo was there, next in line to sing karaoke. Everyone was having a great time. i_Yipee./i_ Bitter as Jo was, she didn't want to ask any of her trusted friends to help her out of her current sticky situation. Neither did she want to stay until they were ready to leave. She was a big girl, she could handle it.

Zane followed Jo's line of sight and smirked. "We better get out of here fast. He looks like he's going for broke."

Jo smiled distractedly and took the doggie bags from Vincent. "Thanks."

"You two have a good night. Glad you're both alright, Jo." The cuisine aficionado called after them, flashing thumbs up at Lupo.

"Me, too, Vin. Good night." Zane called over his shoulder as he held the door for Jo. "I know it's been said, but… my head would be a pin cushion right now if it wasn't for you."

Jo kept a tight lip as she climbed into her car. As a matter of fact, no it hadn't been said. But she didn't take it personally, it's not like she shoved her arm into the space under the desk to protect him because she loved him. Jo was detached. Detaching. Cool. Aloof. _Ah, crap…_

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… thank you." Zane chuckled. "I've kind of been doing that a lot lately."

She was just too tired to think of a snappy remark. "You're welcome." She managed to say it sincerely. "Just doing my job." She even gave a casual shrug in the very picture of nonchalance.

"Don't get used to it though. It's not like I want to owe you, or anything. I've still got to figure out how to pay you back for all the slack you've been giving me. Wouldn't want you holding that over my head."

Jo chuckled. "Nope. We're even. So long as you manage to keep your own ass out of the fire for a while. Like a grown-up." She gave a snarky smile. She was tired and in pain, she was allowed that much.

"Not a chance of that, JoJo." He threw a cocky smirk right back. "My ass likes being nice and toasty."

Her smile faded. "Don't take anyone else down with you. This global warming atmospheric readjustment theory means a lot to some people. I thought it might mean something to you too." Jo heard her own voice and didn't believe the soft tone it had. Of course, she'd gotten him that position. It was by her (and Fargo's) recommendation that Zane was in charge of his own division of research. It would really be ungrateful if he blew it. Not that he KNEW anything about Jo's involvement.

"Not to worry, JoJo. I'm the scapegoat they'll throw to the wolves when the project fails or goes over budget." There was a regretful edge to his face. Jo had no difficulty fighting the tide of sympathy that wanted to comfort him. It was the fault of his own characteristic pride that earned him so many haters. Nope, no difficulty at all considering she could tell how bored he was. Zane was dangerous when he was bored. Not to mention brilliant, charming, and sexy as—Nope. Jo didn't see any of that.

"You have saved my life before. Once or twice. I owed you something for that. We're even."

"I should have cashed in on that before you started giving me all these breaks!" Zane pulled up to Carter's and parked the car next to Jack's jeep. "Who would have guessed you'd put your life on the line to save my—I would have thought—worthless rump?"

Jo turned toward him. "Zane, I don't want you to die." She saw the look on his face and they turned forward. The atmosphere was clammy with awkward vibes. "It would be too much paper work." Jo could hear a rim-shot in her head to further point out how well that lead balloon went over.

"Jo, I…" He reached for something in his pocket and looked at her. His face was full of conflicted emotion and confusion.

"Yes?" Jo could tell he was going to get serious. i_Please, don't say anything else. I'm too tired./i_

Zane must have caught her look in the dim light. "I—I should get going." He pulled his hand out and slid out of the car.

"You want me to get Carter to drop you?"

"He'd help me right over a cliff what with me seeing Zoe now." Zane got out of the car and handed Jo her keys. "Nah, I'll walk. It's only… two miles. In the dark. Alone. By myself. In Eureka." He started off, his voice growing dimmer. "Jo!" He called from across the yard.

"Yeah, Zane?" Jo called back.

"I don't want you to die, either."

Jo stood outside the bunker door in shock. Yeah, that did NOT affect her at all.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, Jo. I heard about your big day. How you feelin?" Jack greeted her as she walked in the door.

"Alright, I guess." Brave face still in place, she carried her dinner to the kitchen counter with her good arm. In moments, she would be safely in her own room and she could drop the armor. Jack and the others were still treating her with kid gloves and the last thing she needed was for them to find out she'd done something stupid for Zane. Again.

"I've been kinda wanting to talk to you about something, Jo. Do you feel up to it?"

"Sure." She made her way to the couch as Jack muted the game. He waited until she'd flopped back into the cushions.

Jack hesitatingly laid out the matter he wanted to raise with her. It was slow going at first but Jo soon caught on that he and Henry wanted to pursue the darker venues of the time traveling situation. They wanted to investigate possible means to escape if they had a chance and hopefully insulate as many people as possible from the fall out of discovery. No one wanted to see anyone they loved hastily added to the list as collateral damage.

"I agree. We should have a back-up too."

"Exactly." Jack nodded. "And to do this we're going to need some help. We made mistakes with Grant and that almost exposed us."

"Zane's probably the only one that saw it. I don't think he wants to endear himself to General Mansfield by being a snitch. Not that I trust him as far as I can throw him, of course."

"But we don't know for sure if that's the case. We need to find out and maybe try to get ahead of this."

Jo saw he was trying to lead her to something. "What's your point, Jack? I agree, I just don't know what I can do to help beyond groundwork tactics. I can plan a retreat but there are no resources for me to use to put it in action. Between you, Henry, Allison, and Fargo, the best of GD, we should be able to do something. Just tell me what I can do."

"Well…" Jack paused, possibly searching for the right words. Finding nothing so easy as the simple truth, he just blurted it all out in a single breath. "Henry and I wanted to bring Zane in on what's happened to us but we thought we should talk to you first and see what you had to say."

"…What did you say?"

Jack took her scandalized shock in stride. "We need help. You said it yourself."

"But why him?" Jo demanded.

"Who better?" Jack turned toward her and leaned forward. "He's got skill sets we could use. And wouldn't you say he'd be more willing to cooperate if we showed him that we trust him?"

"I don't know… Can't we find someone that i_won't/i _blackmail us? Or laugh their ass off when they set us up?"

"I don't think he would. It's not like we altered the timeline on purpose… either… time. And who better than possibly the only guy that could blow our cover? He's sniffing around, he'll pick up on something soon, anyway. That is, if he hasn't already." Jo felt a cold stone drop in her stomach. She'd helped put Zane on the trail with the little hallucination fiasco. The blame of that rested squarely on her shoulders. It was heavier knowing Zane would succeed and figure it out, just in time to blow everything and die with them.

"Would you trust Stark in this situation?" Jo demanded. "Or how about a twelve-year old with a huge ego and a fixation with his joystick? Because that's what it would amount to!"

"We have to trust him." Carter nodded and looked up at Lupo. "It's Zane, Jo. He won't let you down."

Jo wished she could believe it. She punched the couch. This Zane, that Zane. One Zane, all Zanes. She was getting sick of the differentiation. It was blinding her to the dangers of trusting someone who had no reason to trust them. The Carter and Lupo this Zane knew were nothing but antagonistic and mildly sadistic. But what could she do?

"Fine! But I don't like it! I don't have to trust him. As far as I'm concerned, he works for you and Henry. I'm not involved."

"But, it's Zane!"

"Don't you think I know that? Felon, troublemaker, thrill-seeker. He's looking out for number one. All the way. No matter…" Jo lost steam and stalled_._ She stared into space thinking about the experimental kiss he'd surprised her with. His little game of 'lets see what happens'. "No matter what." She sighed with resignation.

"Could you two… come to an understanding?" Jack asked hopefully, grimacing at the obvious pry.

"I don't know." Jo said truthfully. "He's had two extra years of bad behavior and the Jo he knew before was fighting him all the way. It's changed him a little from the Zane I knew. He's bitterly anti-authoritarian. It's like I've lost everything we had before, and then add two years of bickering on top of that. There's a lot of ground to cover towards being amicable co-workers, much less friends."

"Should I tell Zoe?"

"Don't pester her about Zane. She'll figure out he's a spineless, cocky—"

"No, I mean about the other time." Jack motioned to the elephant in the room: Jo's present… previous relationship with Zane.

"No." Jo rubbed her eyes and pretended not to see it. She was too tired for this. And the realization she'd be more closely tied to Zane than she liked was starting to set in. "But if… if it all comes out, it would hurt her that we didn't tell her. Or, maybe she'd understand we couldn't to keep her safe? I don't know. I can't think right now. I need to take some pills and try to sleep."

"I've already talked it over with the others. Just sleep on it, we don't have to do it right away." Jack went up to his room and Jo lay down in bed, her dinner forgotten. Of course, they had to tell him and i_quickly/i_. Zane wasn't in Eureka to enhance the ambiance. If he figured it out before they had some kind of leverage over him, there was no telling what he'd do.


	5. Chapter 5

SESSION TWO:

Jo and Zane were arguing. It was stupid and loud, most of it name-calling. Neither could even remember what had started it. The surrounding area had been cleared as people had quietly scurried away to avoid getting hit by the crossfire. In each other's face, the noise quite suddenly stopped as Zane grabbed and kissed her.

"What the HELL?" Jo demanded. Once she got over her surprise and shoved him away, of course.

"It was the best way I could think of to shut you up for five seconds. Besides, you need a good kiss to unbunch those panties of yours." Zane still held her at arms length. "I've been _trying_ to tell you that I love you, Jo. But you're not listening to a damn word I say."

"You what?" Stunned, her ears ringing from their screaming match, she needed to hear it again.

"I love you Jo. Your lethally aggressive, even when you're passive aggressive. Your beautiful 'drop dead' face and your sexy 'got to hell' face. Your defensive, angry, repressed feminine side. Even your gun collection and the fact that I know you're always packing heat and a pair of handcuffs. I love everything about you."

Jo was still shocked but the tension in her system was suddenly switched from fight to… well… She leaped into him, lips fused to his and hands in his hair. And he was right there with her. His hands slipped under her jacket and around her waist. She pulled him deeper into her. The taste of him was so familiar. His movement so similar she just fell into him. She heard herself groan and felt Zane's response to it.

He maneuvers her around until her back hits a wall. They break apart only for an instant as Zane slams the door shut. Jo only has an instant to realize they're in her room at Carter's place. _Oh, if only my house was finished!_ But she doesn't have time to think anything else as Zane takes her mouth again.

It's over quickly.

Breathless, Jo flops back on her bed and smiles. _Thank you God!_ She feels so peaceful and happy, the turmoil of her mind settled into soothing waves of pleasure.

But he isn't at her side. She looks up to see him zipping up his pants and throwing what's left of his shirt over his shoulder. He gives a roguish smile and Jo returns it, a little confused.

"You know, no one would ever believe this happened." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a camera phone. The shutter clicks before Jo can even reach for something to cover her. "Thanks. That was fun. See you at work."

Helpless against the wrenching heartache of betrayal, Jo can only lay there as he leaves. She hears the door slam and she rolls over grabbing her pillow as the tears fall. Never in her life has she felt so _used._

But that's nothing to how she feels when she gets into work the next morning and all of GD has scene the photo.

This time Jo wakes up shaking with adrenaline and anger. It's all she can do not to throw the visor across the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Morning came much too slowly and all too quickly for Jo. Much happier to be busy, she grabbed a Vinspresso and headed to GD. She was even bizarrely happy to see the snippy Dr. Cooper zero in on her as she crossed the Rotunda. Jo sighed. Just another day at GD.

After work, she'd gone to the shooting range just to be somewhere where no one would talk to her. Even if she couldn't shoot for a while because of her arm, the sound of gunfire and the smell of cold metal made her feel better. She'd settle in, drink a beer, and watch some TV. And try not to think about what had to come next.

Jo shuffled through the door at Carter's home. The bags dropped off her shoulders with a loud thud and Jo felt fifty pounds lighter.

She opened her eyes and took in the scene before her. Her plans for a relaxing night went out the window.

Jack Carter, Allison Blake, Henry and Grace Deacon, and Douglas Fargo were sitting in Jack's living room. Then Zane Donovan stood up and gave her a wave.

"Hey, Jo." Jack called. "We were, uh, just—well, we were waiting for you."

"You already told him?" Jo asked in shock. Jack was throwing her hand signals behind Zane's back. 'Calm down, be cool.'

Zane put his hands in his pockets. His expression was challenging. "Don't want me in your secret club, Jo?"

Stalling for time, she dropped her bag behind the door. Maybe honesty was the best policy. "I couldn't decide. I don't exactly trust you but I don't see that we have a choice." Jo begrudgingly admitted. Zane would love that he'd forced her into a position she didn't like. Zane would i_love/i_ that she was indirectly asking for his help.

He smirked. Of course. At present, he was too far away to inflict physical pain no matter how much Jo wanted to.

"Zane actually saved us the trouble of counting the votes. He showed up about an hour ago."

"With these." Zane held up a ring in each hand. Jo didn't have to look closely to know they were both his grandmother's heirloom engagement ring. "I had these tested. The flaws in the stones are identical. The engravings were done by the same exact imperfect drill bit. Both have the same amount of wear, though this one, the one you threw at me, was cleaned a short time ago. I did complete scans on both. Couldn't even find one single project at GD that could replicate an item so faithfully. These are the exact same object. It gave me a general idea."

Jo worked the hand she'd started with. "Enough to cause trouble." That put a cocky grin on his face. She put her head down and stalked to the couch to take off her heels, playing it up for Zane's benefit.

Jack started strong. "If you tell i_anyone_ /iwhat we're about to share with you, i_everyone/i_ in this room i_will die/i._"

Zane scoffed, not quite sure what to make of the very dramatic opening.

Jack continued. "If you report us, General Mansfield wouldn't exactly be heartbroken to finally get rid of you. How well do you think you'd get along with the replacements Mansfield picks to run GD and be the new Sheriff?" Zane finally grasped that Jack was completely serious. He looked resentful of Jack's summation of his current condition but he leaned forward with interest.

"I know it's easy to say, but we've been talking about bringing you in on this for the last few days. If you decide you don't want any part of this, we can deal. But you can't breathe a word of this. And, above all, you can't tell Zoe. I don't exactly want her name on the list of people to be executed." To give Zane credit, he actually paled at that.

Jack looked to Jo to start the telling. She clenched her jaw and stared him down. He gave her a softer expression and Allison put her hand on Jo's shoulder.

Jo jerked her head and waved a hand. She told the story without looking at Zane. "Two years ago, you came to Eureka, we dated, you proposed on Founder's Day, and I didn't answer. Few minutes later I got a call and then I was standing in 1947." She looked to Henry for the science explanation; effectively communicating that's all she had to say on the subject.

Jo could ignore someone into oblivion. It was a wonderful by-product of her Ranger's training on resisting torture. She blocked out Zane's reaction in the pause that followed. But he didn't laugh, or scoff, or even make any kind of derisive noise. No matter, the suggestive ribbing would come sooner or later.

Henry jumped in with what little understanding they had about how they'd been sent back in time. There were countless theories but Jo put stock in the simplest one: freakish accident. The five scientists put their heads together and debated various points. All of this spoken in the science jargon filled language of Eureka by people who believed that physical strength was directly inproportionate to mental acuity. Jo got up and headed to the kitchen, knowing they'd be a while. She poured a shot of whiskey, perched on a stool, and stared at the wall.

Of all the things she'd thought would happen to her, this wasn't one of them. Blown up in a lab? Fit the pattern of her near-death experiences. Chewed up by some rogue experiment? Almost happened already. Saving the town? Oh, for sure. But, death by embarrassment? That hardly seemed likely.

Zane appeared at her elbow. i_Definitely looking more plausible by the moment/i._ Jo kept her gaze fixed at that little spot on the wall. The scientists were still in the other room, brainstorming. "So you and I were knockin' boots, huh?"

"Not in this reality." Jo said with enough rebuff bigger men had bowed to. Zane snorted. He leaned on the counter, encroaching on her personal space and entering her field of vision.

"Would you say that… i_whatever/i_ happened… before… is not worth doing again? Just forget about it like it never happened and thank some higher power you got a clean slate?"

There was a lump in Jo's throat but she swallowed it and a shot of whiskey. Zane held her steely glare. She had to lie. /i_Give the devil an inch and he takes a mile/i._ "Yup."

She poured another drink. Jo couldn't tell if it was her imagination or the drink that had her seeing the hurt of rejection in his eyes.

"Then why did you come running into the Sheriff's office to tell me you would marry me?" He was in her face now, challenging her.

Jo felt that memory sting little too deeply. She could think of nothing to say. It was time for a different tactic.

Jo turned to face Donovan and narrowed her eyes at him. "That was someone else. I was accepting i_someone else's/i_ proposal. Not you. The Zane I knew… he was different."

"But he started out like me. Sitting in that stupid jail cell where he proposed." Zane looked away. "I guess you're right. I'd never do something as corny as that. I can't even see myself popping the question. You must have had me on a very short leash." He smiled, almost a leer at the thought of whatever might have made the other Zane enjoy that.

Jo turned back to that little spot on the wall. She took another shot and set the glass down with a clink. "There you have it."

"I am curious, though." His eyes roved hotly and Jo decided she'd had enough abuse for tonight. She slammed the table.

"i_Leave/i_, Zane." Jo turned her most lethal glare on him. "Walk away."

Zane shrugged and backed up. "Chill, I was just going to ask where I took you on the first date. That must have been some foolproof set up." He turned to go back to the skull session.

"The ballet." Jo answered, not really knowing why. It was the drink loosing her tongue not the memories the question evoked. "Carter told you to take me to the ballet."

"Jack Carter gave me dating advice?" He laughed. "Never work in a million years."

Jo poured herself another drink. i_It did… once/i. _The night was almost over.


	7. Chapter 7

SESSION THREE:

Jo sidled through the door, her arms laden with bags and her rifle cases.

"SARAH, I need a beer." She barely managed to raise her voice above a whisper. Simply not caring anymore, she dropped everything behind the door.

"Are you sure that's wise, Jo?" SARAH asked with concern. "Given your condition—"

"Two words, SARAH. False. Positive." Jo turned to hang her jacket on the coat rack and was startled to see Jack and Zane standing up. Zane shoved something glittery in his pocket and looked startled and relived. "What are _you_ doing here?" Both men looked entirely too guilty to answer right away. So SARAH answered instead.

"I'm sorry, Jo. When you indicated you'd be less than thrilled at the prospect of motherhood, I took the liberty of arranging for a little chat with Zane and Jack. Jack, as a father himself, is a natural resource of information Zane might find useful. Unfortunately, my excellent plan was wasted on a probability error or faulty sensors in the downstairs bathroom."

"You _told_ them?" Jo was shocked. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster for her. She'd spent hours trying to pluck up the courage to talk to Allison. Then fear had almost locked her up as the scans and tests were crunched down to cold, hard results. When Allison had said those two words, Jo had been torn between two extremes. She was elated. She was devastated. It was like loosing Zane all over again. Jo finally said good-bye to the Zane she'd loved. Allison held her hand and cried with her. Now all she wanted was to get stone drunk and pass out on the couch.

"SARAH, not cool!" Jack reprimanded his house.

"Sorry, Sheriff. I'm only now receiving messages from Allison: 'don't tell him. False positive.' There are several messages time stamped three hours ago but this is the constant theme."

Jo hung her head to avoid looking at Zane. Morosely, she trudged into the kitchen and poured a few fingers of whiskey. While she watched the amber liquid slosh into the cup, Zane lightly touched her.

"I'm sorry, Jo." He whispered in her ear and kissed her forehead. And he walked away, vanishing after a few steps.

Jo collapsed into tears on the countertop, the consoling drink long forgotten.

The sobs carried over to reality as the VR therapy session ended. But despite the ache in her chest that made it hard to breathe, her eyes were dry. She had no more tears to shed.


	8. Chapter 8

Now he was everywhere. Jo couldn't go five steps without running into… i_him!/i_ He was in Fargo's office. He showed up in the medical lab when she was getting her arm checked out. He was putting a complicated encryption on Henry and Grace's computers when her and Jack showed up with questions. He showed up hours later to do the same upgrade to SARAH.

There wasn't one part of her life he hadn't invaded. She could only grab a few hours of serenity at the spa before she looked up to see him getting cozy with some blonde in reception.

So when she needed an hour, just i_one hour/i_, of peace and quiet, where else would she go but the one place she knew he wouldn't show up: his lab.

He had a cot in his office. It wasn't much more comfortable than the one in the Sheriff's office but Jo was too tired to care. Only because of her military training was she able to hang her jacket over a chair so it wouldn't wrinkle. She was out like a light. It only occurred to her later to be curious of the rare instance she wasn't wracked with post-Founder's Day insomnia.

Jo smelled coffee. Hot, steamy coffee. She stretched languorously under the blanket she'd found folded on the cot. Her hair was down and she pulled it over her shoulder to get it out of the way as she propped herself up on an elbow to find the source of the coffee.

"Woa-ell…" Zane cleared his throat. "Good morning, gorgeous." Click.

She looked up at him and saw the big mug of coffee in his hands (along with a camera phone, but, priorities) "Hmmm, gimme." Click. She was in a good mood and she wouldn't let Zane ruin that.

"Give you what?" Zane asked as he took a sip of the coffee. Click. "Oh you want my coffee? What are you going to give me for it?"

"I'll let you keep those pictures and the hand that took them. But if you ever show them to anybody, if I ever see them again, I'll taze you in the balls."

"Oooh! Something to look forward to." Zane's face was wry. "Considering you may do it anyway if I don't give it to you, that sounds more than fair. Done." He handed her the mug as she came upright. She struggled with her skirt as she sipped, trying to pull it back down over her knees.

He cleared his throat again. i_Maybe he's coming down with something/i._ A glance up showed quite a familiar look on his face: predatory satisfaction.

Jo looked down to discover that two of the buttons on her silk blouse had come undone, showing a bit of the wine colored lace underneath. i_Then again, maybe not./i_

She turned her back to him and fumbled the buttons back in place. "I'm rethinking letting you keep those pictures, Donovan."

Zane smirked. "Deal's a deal, Lupo. Don't you think you can trust me?"

Jo looked up at him and shook her head. "Nope." She gave a genuine smile.

"Okay, let me put it this way: … how many ways can you kill somebody?" He smirked again and despite herself Jo found herself blushing into her shoulder. "Oh, that is so hot. Scary, but hot." Click. "And, by the way, it's two past three."

"What?" Jo looked at her watch. "I've got a meeting!"

"I know. They've been paging you."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"One: how? I happen to like my head attached. And two: I got… i_distracted/i_."

Jo rolled her eyes. She slipped on her heels and pulled her hair back as Zane watched.

"Sexy. Got both earrings?"

"Check."

"Jacket?"

"Check."

"Phone?"

"Check."

"Coffee?"

"Hmmm, double check. Thank you." She set the mug down as she shrugged on her jacket. Zane snatched it back while she was distracted.

"Kiss?"

Jo started forward with a smile, caught up in a routine she hadn't gone through in months. Zane had caught her in it.

"What's so different about us?" Jo was confused and tired but she understood Zane was asking about the two variations of him. "It can't really be much at all." And there he was. Looking at her over the coffee mug like any other day before Founder's, was her Zane. He was open and confused, challenging her, making her see what she couldn't show herself. But then it passed and he looked away, the connection broken.

"Thank you for letting me sleep."

"No, really, thank i_you/i._" He cocked his eyebrows at her.

Jo smiled and picked up her ringing phone as she went out the door. "I'm on my way."

She may has well have missed it, she was so distracted. Jo did manage to formulate a plan of action to try and gauge Zane's motives for his bi-polar behavior. Avoid the hell out of him.

And, of course, everything always goes exactly according to plan…


	9. Chapter 9

"i_Josephina?/i_ Estas mi hermana?" Instantly recognizing the voice, Jo turned with a grin. There was no mistaking the bulky form of her loud mouth kid brother. This Lupo was a grunt, through and through.

"Levi!" Jo went running up to hug her little brother. He grabbed her in a headlock and jostled her around a little. She jabbed his ribs and he released her.

"It's my Joey, all right. But you look like a i_girl!/i_" He snorted. "Does Dad know?" He snickered at his own joke. "Next thing you'll be telling me you have a boyfriend, too!" He really thought that one was funny. Levi was doubled over with his annoying shrieking laughter. i_That didn't hurt. It didn't./i_

"Who's this, Jo?" Zane came walking up with his helmet in one hand. His eyes were sharp with distrust and his hair was scruffy-looking. He smoothed it down a little.

"Zane, this is my little brother, Levi Lupo. Levi, this is Dr. Zane Donovan, a friend of mine." Zane's head snapped back to Jo.

"So you i_do/i_ have a boyfriend!" Levi smirked. This same teasing jackass attitude was the reason for many of the black eyes that filled his childhood.

"He's i_just/i_ a friend." Jo said firmly at the same time as Zane said "Not technically." They looked sharply at each other.

"What are you doing?" Jo hissed.

"What do you mean 'i_just a friend/i'_?" Zane trying his hardest to look hurt, hamming it up.

"Oh, that's so cute." Levi said, drawing their attention back to him. His face changed suddenly and he looked ferocious. "Does i_Dad/i_ know?" The similarity of temperament between the siblings was startling.

Jo dropped her head into her hand and Zane audibly gulped.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. HA! You should have seen your face!" He thumped Zane on the chest. "I'll make it up to you. You should come over for lunch on Sunday. Jo makes great fajitas and I've been dying for some barbeque ribs. Sound good? What do you ride? I've got an old Ducati I've been restoring but I learned on a friend's Harley. And there's a Kawasaki with me out front."

"It's a 2006 Ninja with some after-market mods. Are you sure Jo wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, she's cool with it! Aren't you, Jo?" Levi wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her. "Hey, we should go riding tomorrow! Is there a track around? Some mud, jumps, and turns?"

"Well, the Petersons have a pretty good one. I'll give Jason a call, see what he says." He looked over his shoulder as Levi led him away. Jo was following behind, trying to smooth her hair and remember to breathe. It was nice to have him here but she knew she was bound to end up doing his laundry and cleaning up after him. It would be an interesting weekend.

"So tell me about these after-market mods. Whatdya got, a chip? Noz?"


	10. Chapter 10

Levi and Zane spent quite a bit of time together. They did get the opportunity to ride though it rained over night. The pair of them drove up in Jason Peterson's truck with bikes in the bed. Both the men and the bikes were covered in mud.

"You guys look like you had fun." Jo watched as Zane scrubbed mud out of his hair with his once-white shirt as he leaned on the front of the truck. His bare chest was streaked with mud. _Wow._ Apparently, one of Zane's venting techniques, working out, had been exercised quite often during the last few years. He was a bit more cut than before.

"Hey, Joey, go make us some ice tea while we get my bike down." Jo tore her eyes away from Zane.

"What? No 'please'?"

"Sure!" Levi shot her a smartass grin.

SASHA, Second-generation Automated Smart House AI, mixed and poured while Jo cut up lemon garnishes. She grabbed a couple of her gym towels on the way out to the guys. The bike was now sitting in the drive and Levi was hosing it down.

"Thank you, JoJo." Zane wiped his face in the towel before accepting the drink.

"You're welcome." Jo smiled and he gave her a heated look over the rim of the glass. _Butterflies. He's got the emotional maturity of a corn chip under a frat-boy's bed and he gives me _butterflies_?_

"Hey! Where's mine? Don't make me hose you down!"

Jo threw the towel at him and held out his tea. "i_Don't/i_ track mud all over my new carpet."

"Chill, ma. I'll be good!" He smiled and kicked back the tea. Levi hummed in surprise and gave her thumbs up.

Jo backed up to safe distance with plenty of cover in case Levi tried to soak her anyways.

"He's a lot of fun." Zane said as he came to sit on the porch step with her. "Pretty wild."

"Yeah, that's Levi." Jo nodded. "He has always been like this. Completely out of control." She smiled. This was completely new to her. The other Zane had never met anyone from her family.

"This one time we're out playing in front of our house, just the four of us. Army brats, you know? Always the new kids on the block. And Levi gets it in his head that he's going to jump his bike over a homemade ramp someone had left out. He pushes his bike to the top of this little hill and just _flies_ down. Only it wasn't a ramp he was aiming for. It was some rotten drywood over an empty trashcan. So he hits the bottom of the 'ramp' at top speed and it just… falls apart. Goes everywhere. And Levi just vanished. We couldn't find him." Jo started laughing. "He landed in the trashcan and it tipped upright. We're looking everywhere, under the bushes. He passed out so he didn't hear us calling him at first but then he came to and jumped up yelling 'GOAL!'" Zane and Jo laughed. "That wasn't even the FIRST time he knocked himself unconscious!"

It was nice. Laughing and relaxing on the front porch with a couple glasses of iced tea as the sun set. Levi hosed himself off after he finished with his bike, shaking himself like a dog.

"Look at this guy. He's dripping wet mud now and he thinks he's going in my house." Jo shook her head. "You better head out before we blow up at each other."

"Yeah, it's getting cold." Zane stretched and gave Jo an eyeful.

"I can tell." Jo smirked. "Careful, you'll put someone's eye out." Zane pushed her with his mud caked shoulder and she squealed. "You better not have gotten my shirt dirty!"

"You're fine." Zane smiled, reclining back. Their eyes locked for a simmering moment and Jo turned away. "Thank you. For making sure he had fun." The boys overseas needed to vent as much stress as possible, constantly in harm's way.

"My pleasure." Zane shrugged. Maybe that's all it was for him.

"Wooh!" Levi exclaimed as he hobbled into sight. The air was cold, the water was cold, and he was dripping wet and half undressed. "That's some shower!"

"Get inside and go wash up. SASHA's been working on dinner."

"What are we having?" He looked up at the house as if it might actually start moving and tell him. He wasn't used to it but he enjoyed it.

"Brisket and beans."

"Hey, Zane, you want to stay for brisket and beans?"

Zane smiled and looked up at Jo. She wasn't saying no in the pause that followed. "Sure. You got an extra pair of pants I could wear?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to ask Jo for a shirt." Levi cracked and sped for the shower.

"I just finished doing his laundry." Jo explained. Zane stopped dead in his tracks before following her into the house. He was shocked but wisely kept his mouth shut about Jo's domestic habits.

Exactly as she predicted, she was cleaning up after the boys. She went from one bathroom to the other collecting the muddy clothes to dump them in the wash. Then she did the rounds again delivering fresh towels and clean clothes.

Levi left the upstairs bathroom a mess: soaked towel dropped on the floor, puddles everywhere, streaks on the mirror, and hair on the sink and in the drain. Zane had the decency to act like a courteous guest.

When Jo finally joined them in the dining room, Levi was full of praise.

"You didn't use enough starch on these shirts, Jo. Colonel'll have my ribbons for sure."

"You don't like it, you can do it yourself." That seemed to shut him up nicely for a while. Zane set the table and Jo carried over the steaming crock-pot of slow roasted brisket. Just as she sat down to serve herself, Levi paused in whatever story he'd been telling Zane.

"Where are your manners? We have a guest! I'll have a beer and Zane will have…"

"Another ice tea, but I can get it." He started to get up but Levi stopped him.

"Nah, Jo will get it. She doesn't mind. Like I was saying…" And off he was again about his last girlfriend but Jo couldn't tell if it was the Italian model, the nightclub singer, or the CIA contractor. It could have been some new woman Levi had run into since she'd last gotten a download from their older brother, Joseph Jr.

Levi loved being the center of attention. He forgot about Jo being there and some of his stories danced the edge of what a girl needs to know about her brother. She cleared he throat a couple of times, helping him clue in.

"Sorry! We all went to get a TB booster shot and had a prayer meeting before going to bed at eight."

Jo clamped a hand over her snicker and chuckled into her plate. That had lasted about five seconds. "Does _Dad_ know?" The two siblings cried at the same time.

Everyone was worn out after dinner so Levi checked to see if the home theater system was working while Jo cleaned up.

Zane brought a stack of dirty dishes into the kitchen.

"Oh, you don't have to." Jo started but Zane raised an eyebrow. "Thank you." She sighed with exhaustion. "It's murder trying to keep up with this kid. It would be another matter if the others were here to smack him around."

Jo rinsed and Zane arranged the dishes in the dishwasher.

"You know I'm from a big family, right?"

Jo clammed up but nodded. That kind of question made her think of _before_ instead of being in the present.

"Thank you. It was fun today. Watching you with Levi… it made me jealous."

"You're the one he wanted to talk to. We can barely stand each other for long periods of time without JJ or Danny running interference."

"But I get it now."

"Get what? Little brothers are annoying?"

"Why you are the way you are." Zane switched on the wash and leaned against the counter. "Only girl with a couple of brothers like that? You survive. But you take care of everybody, too. Since you were a kid, am I right?" Jo nodded uneasy with the turn of events. "Who takes care of you, JoJo?"

Jo shrugged. "I do." She went back to scrubbing the pot.

Zane tucked her hair behind her ear and planted a kiss on her cheek. Jo was rocked by surprise as Zane dashed for the exit.

"See you tomorrow, JoJo."

Jo was left standing in the clean kitchen as she heard Zane say 'good night' to Levi and then the door closed. _Why do I keep expecting him to stay? I don't even know who he is or if he's being/i _real_ iwith me!_


	11. Chapter 11

SESSION FOUR:

Jo Lupo sat in her office, filing reports when a familiar shape filled her doorway.

"You work too hard."

"Someone has to." Jo tilted her head back and rubbed her bleary eyes. "God, is it really that time?"

"Time for good little killer babes to go home? Yes, it is." Zane rounded her desk and grabbed her hand. He pulled her out of her chair easily and their lips met. "Come on. We're leaving."

"Wait! My bag!"

"Leave it. You're not working _this _weekend." Zane dragged her to the parking lot and shoved a helmet in her hands. He straddled the bike and flicked on sunglasses. With a practiced kick, the bike roared to life. Zane gunned the engine a little and gave her a cocky smile. He was quite a picture in his leather jacket and aviators.

Jo flicked the visor down and swung her leg over behind Zane. Languidly, she wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the muscle under her hands. He smirked and popped the kickstand. They raced off down the winding roads, flying through turns. Jo leaned into them with Zane, completely in sync. The wind whipped her jacket back and the trees blurred by. Zane popped a wheelie and she laughed, clinging all the tighter to him and the roaring bike under her.

In seconds, they were at her place, before he even cut the engine both helmets were off and their lips locked. On fire and frantic, the two stumbled into the house and slammed the door.

Heart still pounding, Jo breathed a relived sigh and luxuriated in her extravagant sheets and the soft breathing of the man next to her. He was still awake, judging by the slow path his fingers trailed over her. Chills trembled through her and she snuggled closer to his warmth. Nothing was so good as this small moment.

A knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in!" Zane called, headless of Jo's panic. She gathered the sheet over her as the door swung open and General Mansfield stepped into her bedroom.

"Sir!" Jo started to stand to attention but the sheets were tangled around her. She couldn't move.

"Grab him!" He called to the Marines in the hall and they poured into her room and dragged Zane away.

Jo kicked and tore and tried to break free from the sheets but they just tightened like a constrictor snake. Because she couldn't breathe, couldn't move, she heard the General yelling in her yard.

"Ready! Aim! FIRE!" And there was a brief popping of gunfire in the distance.

"Zane!" Jo cried, her heart breaking. She slapped the VR visor to the side and let it fall to the floor. How many more times did she need to use it before she learned? She couldn't have Zane. She needed to forget about him. She was endangering his life! He would die if he got too close to her. And yet, every night she flipped the damn thing on just to see him.

* * *A/N(anon4 reviewer): These VR sessions are Jo's attempt at clamping down on her emotions. They are things Jo is afraid will happen if she gives into them to remind her of the dangers. Kind of like aversion therapy. The point is she can't reconcile being with him. She's just not there... yet. :) and of course they're a lovely literary device to purge those pesky plot bunnies while still driving the story. I tried to keep them dream-like to distinguish between reality/therapy. Thank you so much for the reviews! You enjoyment is an INSPIRATION! I hope I continue to do you and Zane/Jo justice. Did you see the preview for the return of Eureka? We're getting a Zane/Jo kiss! *happy dance*


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning at church, Levi invited everyone, who invited everyone else. Eureka was now at her house.

"Happy Housewarming!" they cheered as Vincent and his wait staff served up barbeque ribs and chicken with potato salad and cornbread. The table in the foyer and now her couch were overflowing with various gifts that were simultaneously bizarre and oddly heartwarming. Levi had been in town less than seventy-two hours and he'd already made a lot of friends and left a big impression.

"Happy Housewarming, Jo." Jack pulled her in for a one-armed hug and Allison echoed him. He tapped their drinks and watched everybody have a good time which mostly involved watching Levi be the life of the party.

"Thanks for coming, guys." Jo smiled. "How's Zoe doing?"

"Zoe's good. She's got exams coming up. She made the Dean's List!"

"That's wonderful! You've got to be proud." Jo smiled. She wanted to call and congratulate her personally but… what would they talk about? 'Oh, hey, Zane kissed me in the Sheriff's office when you were five feet away. How's the campus?' She pictured dunking her head in the punch bowl and screaming her lungs out. _That would be subtle… _Zoe was her best friend and Jo needed to talk to her to figure out how to... talk to her. Then Zoe would need to know _why_ Zane had kissed her and she couldn't know that. No way Jo was opening her mouth to give her adopted sister a reason to get executed.

"Hey, Sheriff Carter. I heard about Zoe, you must be thrilled." Zane showed up and Jack's jubilant mood was dampened. He glanced at Jo before he answered.

"I am, thank you. Talked to her lately?"

"Not lately, no. I've been busy juggling projects and then Levi showed up and I've been touring him around Eureka so he won't destroy Jo's new place." He smiled warmly at Jo who could only give a tight-lipped reply.

"He seems like a real great guy, Jo." Allison smiled at Jo. And, for a moment, Jo wasn't sure she meant Levi.

The Sunday crowd eased home early to prepare for the coming week and Jo had to bid farewell to Levi. Like every time, she was reminded it could be the last time she saw him. Her baby loudmouthed brother with his scraped knees who stole her army men and buried them in the backyard. _God, don't let him die..._

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." It was Zane. _Who else?_

Jo jumped and rubbed at the dust in her eyes. "Quit doing that!"

"Doing what?"

Jo inhaled and turned to face him. "Pretending like you care."

Zane frowned and turned to walk away.

_Say something! Apologize!_ But Jo kept her mouth shut and let him get in his car and drive away. _It's for the best._


	13. Chapter 13

SESSION FIVE:

Jo looked around the front room of Eureka's bed and breakfast. She had no reason to be here and the place was actually closed down since Beverly's duplicity had been discovered.

Speak of the devil…

"Hello, Jo. Thank you for coming. Tea?" Beverly set down the tray she was carrying and took a seat. Jo's hand flit to her sidearm but the holster was empty. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, that's because you're an evil manipulative bitch on the run from the law."

"Says the girl hiding her own secrets from the law. I don't see you stepping forward to admit what you did to the world. But enough of that, I'm well aware you don't trust me. Which brings me to the question, why are you using my VR therapy device?"

Jo realized that the VR could only do as it was programmed and only knew what Jo knew. She took a seat and played along.

"I just needed a leg up on some things. Zoe told me about the device, what it does… don't use it with a head injury…"

"But what's your goal? What are you trying to accomplish?"

"I need to move on from the past."

"But you haven't talked to Zane about what happened before. You were in a very serious relationship. Relationships involve people being emotionally, physically, and mentally invested in each other. You differentiate between the Zane you were in love with and the Zane you see at work every day. Maybe your subconscious can't make that distinction.

"Being in love is a wonderful thing. But it requires that you stop and live in the moment, which is one of the reasons you over-romanticized everything. You have to accept that your loved ones will hurt you at some point. So you have to choose between loving someone, no matter how long or short it may last, and self preservation. The simplest way to decide is to ask yourself: would I do anything, would I die to prevent this person from pain?"

"It's my job to protect people."

"From emotional pain?"

"I would do whatever possible, but I wouldn't die in that case, no."

"Why not?"

"Because they would get over it. Eventually."

"Exactly! So why, Jo, are you causing yourself harm to prevent yourself from being hurt by Zane? You're not sleeping or eating properly, you drink yourself blind more than not. Where's the Jo that believes her body is a temple? You're changing some pretty basic truths about yourself.

You've felt a lot of pain, Jo. You were taught how to handle it. But only physical pain that comes with war. Emotional pain is much trickier. It takes longer to get over, years, your whole life it can fester. There's a lot of fear involved with emotional pain. Just like that raw, clammy, panic-inducing fear you felt when Zane proposed. You were so terrified of feeling, or causing, the pain you watched your father cope with everyday after your mother left."

Jo whipped the visor off and sat on the edge of her bed. No one, _no one_, had ever said that out loud. 'Mom's going on vacation. She'll be back soon.' but she never came back. No matter how many times Jo asked, called, or wrote her. Mom never came back. It was always just 'soon'. 'Someday'. And then 'someday' became never. But somehow they were still waiting for her. Even to this day. And now Jo needed to move on from the past.

Jo took a breath and plunged back into the VR. Beverly was waiting with a cup in her hands.

"I know all the facts you know, Jo. But I see them a little differently. Your mother knew she was going to die a long, slow, painful death. She chose to shield you from watching her lose the war with terminal cancer. She wanted you to remember her as she was. Not fill your childhood with hospital beds, needles, and the smell of sickness and death. That was her choice. You need to respect her wishes. But you don't need to agree with them."

Jo scoffed and looked out the window, seeing the scene play out of her last moments with her mother. The suitcases by the door. The fake smile and hidden tears.

"Neither do you need to follow her example with Zane."

"That's not true! I'm not… It's not the same."

"Ok, then. Explain to me how you are not running from any kind of emotional interaction with Zane because of the pain you experienced in your relationship."

"We don't fit! We don't need to do the whole song and dance over again in this reality to figure that out. And I can't trust him! He's a child! He's playing along for now but the minute he gets bored or things don't go his way, he'll stab us in the back."

"That's not fair, Jo. That's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You treat him with mistrust and he won't ever trust you in return thus leading to this betrayal. Didn't you have fun? Weren't there more good times than bad? Didn't you both grow as people because of your influence on each other? He balked when you got serious. But then a few months later, he proposed. What does that say?"

"But he's… different. Things are complicated."

"Complicated how? Like busting someone's ass everyday while wearing the lingerie he bought you? Different? Too different to try? To find out if things could work between you this time? Different is another word for new. At GD you need to embrace the new; new people, new ideas, new frontiers. You can't be afraid of different. Cut yourself some slack, Jo. You're doing a great job. You don't need to make things work with Zane but you're working too hard to make sure they don't. Quit fighting it. You're changing your whole personality to fight this off. It's not working. Relax and live your life. If your career fulfills you, focus on it. But quit running from love and life. You have a chance to be happy, Jo. Don't waste it. Talk to Zane about before, explain your situation and be open to what he has to say. But get out of this VR and start living your life again. Or you could keep running. Running away from yourself, your problams, and what you want from life... straight to General Mansfield's firing squad."


	14. Chapter 14

That next week General Mansfield was in town. Most projects were on the ball and Jo was happy to see Zane's was thriving even though the General wasn't that interested in it.

Aside from handing security, Jo wasn't really needed at these check-ups but Mansfield specifically requested her presence at Dr. Rawlings presentation. Jim Rawlings: geneticist, bio-pharmacist, and generally quiet man, was giving a visual presentation of various successful subjects in his experiment. Truth be told, Jo was a lot more… _captivated_ than she thought she'd be.

Rawlings had three chimpanzees in cages brought out. Agitated by all the people, they rattled the bars and jumped up and down. They looked like average chimps until Dr. Rawlings handed 'Boji' a crowbar. Boji slapped her cage with it a little and then _bent the bar in half._ All three of them could do it to varying degrees but Boji was the star. They also were impervious to a number of toxins (which killed the animals of the control group in seconds), had super-dense bones that required four times the force to break (which Rawlings did right in front of them), and healed twice as fast as normal.

She had a hard time getting over the disgusting lack cruelty Dr. Rawlings had just exhibited. Jo masked it as best she could. It was too dangerous to draw attention to herself right now. But that didn't change the fact she felt like a coward.

"When do you think you're ready to start human trials?" General Mansfield looked like a boy at Christmas. It was perverse.

"Our most optimistic projections are for two years from now. However, the tests have shown such promise, I'd say we could start in six months once we have FDA approval."

The General practically wrung his greedy hands. "Don't worry about the FDA. I'll start approaching some potential volunteers. I've already got some people in mind. Are there any side-effects?"

"Boji, Kate, and Tim, here, are three of the five I've treated with the recombinant genome therapy and mental imprinting. The other two had a very rapid cycle of increase in muscular proficiency and acuity that faded just as fast. Nothing to be concerned about."

Jo knew the two that failed had been euthanized and necropsied. _Nothing to worry about for them anymore._

"Lupo." The General called her to attention without looking at her distracted face. "I'd like you to personally monitor their progress and keep me updated. Also, while you're getting as familiar as possible with the Doctor and his project, I'd like you to consider being among the first subjects."

Jo wasn't about to say 'yes, sir' but it was very nearly the knee-jerk response. "Uh…"

"Good work, Rawlings, could you give it another crowbar?"

She just turned and walked out.

Horrified and in shock, Jo headed for the relative safety of her office. However, since it was the General, he could very well go anywhere.

She slumped into her chair and swiveled away from the door. Staring at the wall, she considered the situation. As a soldier, her body and mind had been property of the United States military. She had an additional set of rules to follow to protect her self and the government's investment. When you were asked to do something, you did it. No two ways about it. In the General's eyes, she had no choice but to obey. Her only solace was that her military career had ended. She'd been released early because active military couldn't serve as civilian law-enforcement. This Eureka was more military than the other had been but hopefully that didn't mean she'd signed a contract that meant her body and soul belonged to General Mansfield's discretion.

Her door clicked open and shut as someone entered her office. For once, she was thankful it was Zane.

"Hey, Zane."

"GAH!" Zane gave a startled spasm and dropped everything he was carrying. "Don't do that!"

Jo snickered and rose to help him pick up his things. "Sorry. But now you know how it feels to be snuck up on." On her hands and knees, she reached for a stray paper. Zane cleared his throat.

"Aw, are you scared of me, JoJo?" _Oh, boy_. Jo knew that tone of voice.

"Why are you here, Donovan?" She quickly got on her feet and stood on the other side of her desk.

"I, uh, was just dropping off a file from Fargo. We're having a little _party_ at Henry and Grace's tomorrow. I went over last night and helped them redecorate." 'Redecorate' was a code word they'd established for audio/visual jamming so they're conversations couldn't be monitored.

"I'd like to talk to you about that. You should come over and give me some ideas."

"Will there be brisket and beans?"

Jo tensed her jaw. "How about baked chicken and brown rice?"

"Great! I'll be over late, say eight? And you still haven't answered my question."

Jo could have stalled, distracted him, dismissed him; but that would have interested him more. "No."

"Great! Then we don't need a chaperone. See you tonight."

He made for the door just as General Mansfield entered. "Hey, General! Nice tour of the monkey slaughterhouse?" Zane left with a facetious smile.

"That guy still causing trouble?" The General asked before Zane was too far.

"Not really, I'd like to think we've come to an understanding."

"Did I hear something about a date tonight? Is that the 'understanding' you've come to? I thought you were smarter than that, Lupo."

Jo leaned over her desk on her fists. "Not that it's _any_ of your business, General Mansfield. But, yes, I do believe I have a date with Zane Donovan tonight." It was easier, though only marginally preferable to telling the General the truth.

Mansfield harrumphed. "I trust you won't let his prejudice of Dr. Rawling's work influence your decision to participate. Screw him if you have to but get it out of your system."

Lupo had reached her limit. "On the contrary, I _value_ his opinion on the matter but, in the end, I'll _make up my own damn mind. _Sir." She didn't yell at him but she was certainly forceful.

Thankfully, the General left within the hour and Jo could worry about something else. Like being alone with Donovan.


	15. Chapter 15

He showed up on time, at least.

"Hey, Jo!" His face was bright and eager which made Jo more uncomfortable. He'd brought drinks and desert with him from Café Diem. Which was equal parts courtesy and suspicion he didn't think she'd want him around long enough to offer it.

"Come on in, Zane." She took the bags to the kitchen as Zane flipped open his toolbox.

"Good evening, Mr. Donovan. Nice to see you again." SASHA welcomed him.

"SASHA, how's my girl? Jo tell you what's going to happen today?"

"I've been briefed." It couldn't be said that SASHA wasn't short and direct.

"She doesn't talk much does she?" Zane asked Jo when she came back in the main room. He was plugging in hardware and unscrewing panels to access the cords behind them.

"No. Not like SARAH. But she has other ways to communicate."

"Naughty girl." Zane said with affection and admiration. "Did she lock you out or lock you in? Cold water in the shower? Oooh, did she lock you in the cold shower?"

There was an electrical surge in some wires Zane was holding.

"OUCH!" He popped his fingers in his mouth.

"Not exactly." Jo said ruefully.

"I would never do anything so childish." SASHA almost sounded indignant.

Zane was wary of touching her again. "Right, how foolish of me." He managed to pluck up the courage eventually. "So let's see what's hiding up your skirt, SASHA." Another zap made him curse, which earned him another zap.

Jo was snickering behind her hand.

"Please keep the lewd suggestions and foul language to a minimum while Ms. Lupo is present. I have no problem with it but Ms. Lupo is very sensitive."

Zane and Jo looked at each other in surprise and then burst out laughing. He finished with a few more zaps.

"She definitely takes after your side of the family." Zane shook out his hand.

"I like to think of her as a big bulldog looking out for me."

SASHA didn't like that. "That hardly seems feminine, Jo. Perhaps a panther or a tiger instead?"

"I agree with SASHA." Zane said, hoping to garner points with the house. "Now, how about that dinner?"

In short order the table was set and the food served up. Zane complimented both cooks.

Jo wanted to keep the conversation professional and work related so she chose the next topic.

"Zane, I need you to hack into Legal for me."

He choked on his food. "What?"

"I want to look over the contract the other me signed with GD. Make sure I—she didn't do anything stupid."

"You worried about something?"

"A little." Jo lost her appetite just thinking about Rawlings' simians.

"What would we be looking for?"

"I want to know if I've signed my body over to GD so they can run any kind of experiment they want on me."

Zane's fork stopped mid-air. He put it down after a pause and crossed his arms.

"In the military, you sign a contract when you get in. The military gives you all this training the government pays for and the government has control over your medical treatment to protect their investment. But it also works in the experimental human testing area. They don't have to tell you what shot they're giving you. You're told to report to the infirmary, nobody bores you with the details, pinch-poke, and you're out the door."

"Did Mansfield say something to you to start this?" Then Jo could see the light bulb go off in his eyes. "Oh, God, this is about Rawlings' work, isn't it?"

Jo confirmed it with a short nod.

"No WAY, Jo! You can't! Rawlings has been falsifying his data!"

"What? How do you know?"

"I HATE his project! I've been hacking into his feed for months now. First I was just watching for an opportunity to release the animals, but then I saw what he was doing to them. It doesn't work, Jo. The original group he injected was a set of ten, not five like he's been saying. The first six… You don't even want to know what happened to them. It was horrible. They all died. Just like the three remaining females will, only slower. Only the females survived because it takes the super-charged testosterone longer to fry their brains and bodies. The neural pathways he's lazer burned into their cerebellums have over written other parts of their brains! Rawlings changed everything to hide it. Now they're too dangerous to be released! They're completely out of control: excessive aggression, constant mind-blowing steroid rage on LSD. They're no longer social animals, they're murderous!

That's how number ten, the fourth female died. Rawlings put her in a cage with Boji to see what she'd do. Boji KILLED her own daughter."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I didn't know if you and Fargo would believe me. Or care." There wasn't any accusation in Zane's voice. Only an apology.

Jo leaned back in her chair. "First thing tomorrow, you, me, and Fargo will talk this out. There's got to be a way to prove it without your involvement. Mansfield won't believe anything we say if your name is attached, no offense."

"None taken." He looked a little surprised at the turn of events. He was even smiling a little now. "Any thing I can do, though. I'd love to get some justice for those guys."

Jo was certainly with him there. She was feeling pretty angry herself that defenseless creatures had been tortured and abused so heinously. GD was about scientific advancement but not without moral constraint. Perhaps she knew better than anyone that scientists often forgot that.

"I heard you, you know." Zane leaned forward, his food forgotten. "When you told off the General."

Jo was mortified. "Don't read too much into it."

"No, no, it was a convenient cover. Kinda explains why I've been hanging around you guys so much if anyone starts asking questions. I'm not exactly part of the matched set. Not that anyone would believe it too easily, but give it time."

Jo narrowed her eyes at him and leaned forward in an unspoken threat though a smile played on her lips. "You're not going to start holding my hand in public, are you? Just to really sell it?"

Zane smiled just as deviously. "Depends on how much I like the hand… or my head."

Jo really had to concentrate on fighting the grin. But something told her she wasn't completely successful at hiding her amusement.

Zane tucked into the remaining courses as he gave Jo a rundown of all the ideas he'd been working on with Henry and Jack. He was mostly surprised that Jack was a contributor but he was a more readily available tactical mind than Jo had been. She decided to pitch in a few thoughts here and there and Zane ended up staying for coffee. He didn't press his luck, though. Instead of allowing Jo to refill his mug, he packed up and headed home.

"Good night, Jo. Good night, SASHA, you fiendish babe. Your electrical shocks are starting to grow on me."

"Good night, Mr. Donovan. I look forward to your next visit." Jo thought it was kind of presumptuous for SASHA to give Zane an invitation like that and in such a suggestive tone but maybe she was just being polite. Very polite. She didn't realize she was watching Zane walk to his car until SASHA spoke again. "Do we like Mr. Donovan?"

Jo smiled. Her heart jumped with surprise and dismay.

"Ah, I see, Ms. Lupo." SASHA said knowingly. Apparently _someone_ had been talking to SARAH. Maybe ALL AIs were meddlesome.

She spent the rest of her evening in the shooting range before cleaning her guns and turning in.


	16. Chapter 16

The next day she left early to make time for the new meeting. She felt like she'd hardly slept and then, to top it off, she just couldn't decide on what to wear! Jo wanted to look nice but not… too nice. She wanted to put a little extra care in what she wore today but not to _look_ like she'd put extra care into it. Finally, she'd settled on a work appropriate little black dress paired with a grey blazer. Only then did she feel she could leave… after some make-up… and maybe earrings.

She was speeding through the turns as she tried to keep her coffee from spilling and her bag from overturning on the seat next to her. She'd been in such a hurry she didn't have time to zip it after she'd shoved some files and a power bar in, bagel in her mouth and one arm in her jacket as she flew out the door.

So when her cell chirped to say she'd gotten a picture message, the last thing she wanted to do was grope through her bag for it. It would just have to wait until after the impromptu meeting with Fargo and Zane.

Jo hustled up the steps to the main entrance of GD. Both arms in her jacket and bag strapped over her shoulder, she felt like she was in good order. But people were looking at her odd.

Jo brushed at her mouth for stray bagel crumbs and looked down the front of her dress. _Nope, haven't spilled anything._

"Hello." Jo said to draw attention to the fact they were staring. Instead of returning her greeting, they'd looked away in embarrassment.

"Nice!" A guy said as he waved his cell phone at her.

"Very nice." Said his companion. They watched Jo over their shoulders as they continued on.

"What?" Jo stood in the rotunda of GD and, it wasn't her imagination, EVERYONE was staring at her. People were stopping to stare and a crowd was growing. "What?"

"Attention Global Dynamics Employees!" A broadcast was being fed live to their cell phones. Jo could hear Fargo's voice in surround sound as she dug through her bag to get to her own. She flicked it on and saw a waiting message on the screen. It stood to reason that the one had to do with the other so she opened it… and stood in shock as Fargo continued his Eureka-wide announcement.

Jo was lounging on the cot in Zane's office. Her curly bed hair swept over one shoulder and down her front where those two damn buttons came undone. The pixels were a wine red there. Her legs were swung forward and her skirt had gathered toward her hips. But, most galling of all, Jo was _smiling_ and reaching out invitingly.

The similarity to the VR session was too precognitive to ignore. The device had plucked her deepest fears our of her subconscious to play them out for her and it's not like the remoteness of the possibility made it any less of a possibility. She'd been too tired to squelch Zane's camera phone frenzy but her training, which had become second nature, had given her the capability to take out enemy attackers who attempted to sneak up on her while she was dozing and sleep deprived. Which begs the question: why hadn't Jo done something about this then? Quite simply, as tired and sleep deprived as she was, her innate response to Zane was to trust him. Despite her insistance to the contrary. Fat load of good that had done her.

"You all have received a sample image of an upcoming project by the altruistic citizens of Eureka. As you know, we have our various fundraisers for GD side-projects and the company bowling league, but someone recently brought up a startling deficiency in our campaigns to better our community. Quite simply, that we're focused only on our community. It has been brought to my attention that we should look outside our immediate good fortune to shed a little light on the deficiencies of the current public education system. And so, after some deliberation, it's been decided that GD will be putting out a specialty calendar whose proceeds will go to fund scholarships for deserving children in public schools. Who better to get the ball rolling than the generous mind behind such a proposition, your Chief of Security, Jo Lupo!"

There was a smattering of applause as the crowd gathered looked around in confusion.

"It's a little known fact that Ms. Lupo briefly attended various public schools before graduating with top honors from West Point Military Academy. Unfortunately, you can't have a specialty calendar with one photo so I would like to introduce our cover girl, Rochelle Collier!" At that, giant screens cascaded down the walls and various projectors plastered a very flirty image of Zane's lab tech all over the place. People began to accept the validity of the enterprise and clapped more enthusiastically. Rochelle certainly was attractive in a bitty mint green bikini with a holographic background of a beach behind her. She was posed as though she was stepping out of her lab coat to grab a tropical drink.

Just then Rochelle her self popped up in the rotunda in the same bikini and lab coat. She was more than eager to lap up the attention. Perky and peppy, she waved and giggled to cheering. No one cared about some fuzzy jpeg of the frightening Jo Lupo any more. Except for Jo herself.

"Anyone else interested in contributing to this charity should sign up with Ms. Collier. Thank you for listening and have a great day. Think global, act dynamic!" Fargo's image faded out and Jo was left standing apart from the crowd that was queuing up to sign up.

"Great idea, Lupo!" someone called and Jo bolted for Fargo's office. She slumped against the door after slamming it. People waved at her through the glass wall. Weakly, she waved back with an unsure smile.

"Oh, my God, Fargo." Jo slumped into a chair as he turned to look at her.

"I've got to say, I never saw that one coming." Fargo folded his hands and his eyebrows came together. Fargo was right to think that Jo never let any situation get out of hand. That just made this debacle harder for her to handle.

"But that was some quick thinking, Fargo. How'd you have the Collier girl ready for that? That was some fast work and faster talking! Was that some kind of emergency protocol?" Jo was exhausted of relief and she quickly transitioned to vengeance. "Oh, God, Fargo, I'm going to kill him. I don't know what I was thinking! I should have broken his hand. WHY did I trust him?" She was out of her seat and pounding her fist into her hand. Warming up for the violence to come.

"Jo!" Fargo held up his hand and waved at some people still milling around Rochelle.

Jo turned and smiled to the curious audience. "I'm going to actually kill Donovan this time. I just thought I'd tell you because I seriously owe you for covering my butt just now."

"You're not going to believe this, but… he was here with me when that message went out."

Jo zeroed in on Fargo again. "Where did he go?" She was ready to grab the biggest gun she could find and hunt him down.

"The leak came from my terminal, Jo."

Jo paused as she wrapped her fuming brain around this new development.

"Someone hacked my account and virally uploaded and sent that picture off. Zane was with me watching it happen."

"He could have easily written a sub-routine to do the hack remotely to establish some kind of alibi."

"He wrote that little speech I just gave. I adlibbed a little but he gave me a general idea." He handed a hastily written note to Jo. She made out Zane's handwriting and a few words here and there. "He's the one that got Rochelle in on it. She literally just posed for that picture. Though it's kind of strange that she'd happen to be wearing…_that_ today. Zane mentioned it was her laundry day." Fargo was standing at the window staring at the girl in question as Jo processed this.

"Wait, wait, wait. You _believe_ him?"

Fargo was quite practical as he turned back to Jo. "I don't have a reason not to, Jo. He's certainly never cleaned up his own mess before. Why should he start now?"

Jo had to admit that was true. "BUT, he could have set this up just so he could swoop in and come to the rescue! Damn, he's devious!" Jo considered various means of getting even.

Fargo shot her a bland look. "And risk your wrath? Ha-ha! Besides, _no one _rescues Jo Lupo but Jo Lupo, right?"

Jo slumped back into the chair. There HAD to be some explanation for Zane's involvement. Right? Fargo certainly made sense but he was playing Devil's Advocate.

"What are you saying?" Jo narrowed her eyes at her friend to make sure he knew she had an arsenal of his dark secrets at her disposal. As well as an ACTUAL arsenal.

"I'm saying… and it pains me to admit it… Zane didn't do it."


	17. Chapter 17

Fargo slipped his hands in his pockets and slumped into his heels as he stood. It was a perfect imitation of the way Stark often stood. "You should have seen the guy's face. One moment we're talking about Rawlings' chimps and then he goes all pale. Like death warmed over. He said 'oh, no! Angry Lupo incoming!' and then went about setting up this cover story. So, when he looked up at me, I gave him a bit of advice."

"What did you tell him?" Jo was fairly certain she didn't want to know.

"I told him to 'Run. Far. Fast.' And off he went like a bunny after Buffy."

"You—What?" Jo's eyes almost crossed in confusion.

"Bunnies. They may look all cute and cuddly—but, never mind. I told him to flee for his life and he did. He's probably halfway to Antarctica by now." Fargo sat back down at his desk and clicked his computer to life.

Jo realized there was no logic to be had here. She got up and put one dazed foot in front of the other.

"You're more than welcome to take the rest of the day off. I need to catch up on Rawlings' assignment."

She didn't, of course. Things had to be done and she guessed that appearances would be better kept if she went about her day as she normally would. She did get a bit of unwelcome attention and more than one annoying scientist had a hard time looking at her without turning purple. A few actually SET their labs on fire so she'd come rescue them.

Her cell rang quite a bit but it had supplied enough shock for the day so she avoided touching it like the plague. She actually made it out of GD before the sun set and was home with a tea in her hands before she could face the growing stack in her inbox.

Sitting on her couch, she and SASHA scrolled down her list of messages. Some were propositions for dates, some were complains from scientists (of the perfectly average kind), some were check-ups by Jack and Allison. There was cheery congratulation from Zoe. She was actually sorry she couldn't pose herself, not that her dad would let her. Then messages about today at GD, things she'd heard about other ways and dealt with. SASHA highlighted and opened a message down at the bottom of the list.

Zane's face popped up on screen as the video message started. It gave her some satisfaction that he was squirming and anxious with fear.

"God, Lupo. I know you don't believe me but I have proof. I hope Fargo told you I was with him when that thing went out and before you say I wrote a sub-routine to do a remote hack to establish some kind of alibi you should see this. Yeah, you said you never wanted to see these pictures again but these are the ones I took of you that day."

A half-dozen images popped up on the screen in front of Zane's face.

"Notice anything? Could it be the perfect quality and clarity of each—oh, god, please don't kill me—lovely picture?" The notorious photo that had started her day popped up side by side with its closest comparison. "The angle is even off. Then I did some digging and I found that the photo everyone saw today was just a cut out of the security feeds in my office of that day. See? They cropped everything else out and blew up the picture enough to distort and pixelate. I checked who accessed it and I found a fingerprint, a signature. It was someone I know. Someone who works for General Mansfield. I don't know what the game is there and I'd love to find out why they're trying to get me killed..."

"Mansfield?" Jo stood. SASHA paused Zane's message and gave Jo time to think. "Mansfield." She paced. There was a motive. But… could the General really do that to her?

"Josephina! I heard about you're trouble today and I can't say I didn't warn you." Jo looked up to see General Mansfield taking up her screen. She checked the time stamp on the bottom to see it was from earlier today. Too early. "It is unfortunate that someone of such sterling character as you be made a fool of by such a criminal miscreant. I've told you a hundred times the delinquent belongs in prison. Maybe now you'll see reason. I'm sure if you're willing to _volunteer_... for hard work, you could possibly gain back your reputation and impeccable service record."

The message ended and the window closed.

"BASTARD!" Jo threw a fist at the screen. She crumpled onto the couch with her hands on her head. The General knew how Zane felt and she'd made it very clear to him she listened to what Donovan had to say. He tried to tarnish her record and her reputation and quite possibly ruin her relationship with Zane, professional or... otherwise..., to try and force her into 'volunteering' for Rawlings' project. Well, there was no way in hell that was happening now. "NOBODY does that to Josephina Lupo and gets away with it."

"Jo, there's more." SASHA interrupted her ranting and brought Zane's message to the front again.

"…killed but I'd like you to know I had fun last night. I wouldn't mess that up by trying to piss you off again. Happy Lupo is good for my health and… I kind of like Happy Lupo. Angry Lupo just means more hospital beds and cold jail cells for me, which I'd like to avoid, pleasepleaseplease. I'm really sorry this happened, Jo. I don't know why it did but I don't like seeing you get hur—er, mad. Just know it—honest to God—wasn't me."

In moments she had a plan. "SASHA, compose vid message to Zane, attach General Mansfield's message. Begin recording. Zane. This is about Rawlings. We're taking him down. Hard. Be at GD early tomorrow. And, Zane? Thanks. For… not. You know? And, me too. Had fun, I mean." Jo cut it off before it got any more awkward. She wanted to get back to being angry.


	18. Chapter 18

Rawlings didn't take it well.

Jo sat in her office enjoying a little coffee break before meeting up with Fargo to let Rawlings know his project was terminated and he was being dismissed from Eureka on criminal charges. Fargo was probably on the phone with the General now, delivering the sad, sad news.

"Ma'am, I've got some wildlife on Sector Two, the bio-containment division." One of her men called via Security coms.

"What kind of wildlife, Pearson?" Jo answered with droll patience.

"Some really, really, big chimps." He sounded confused but Jo knew exactly what was going on.

"So get the tranq-guns and some really, really big darts!" Jo practically dropped her coffee on her desk. "Did you see where they were coming from, Jason?"

"Yeah, they came up the elevator shaft. They used a couple of crowbars to pry open the doors."

Jo gulped. "Did they _bend_ the crowbars?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Dammit! Rawlings!" Jo was up and entering a security code on a panel on the wall. "All teams we have a level five breach. Three genetically altered chimps with super-strength. Never mind the darts with these girls, fellas. Go straight to live rounds. Repeat: lethal force is authorized." A klaxon blared a warning for all employees to evacuate. Jo couldn't even take the risk of locking them in their labs because the super-chimps could just break in. The best they could do was run for it before GD turned into the movie 'Congo' with carnivorous chimps snacking on lab techs.

Jo was armed and mobile in seconds. She went down the stairs to Sector Two and heard the action well before she saw it. Two of her teams had taken one chimp down and the other two girls were charging on the boys' defensive position. Jo managed to get a few shots off before the chimps crossed in front of her teams. If she fired now, she'd hit her own guys.

"Damn!" Jo broke cover and sprinted around the outer perimeter of the labs. Skidding over the floor, she turned down a hallway to get behind the teams that were now flooding the coms with calls for assistance. Then their screams.

Jo rounded the second bend in the center of the circular floor plan of GD. One of the chimps was running toward her on the wall, her massive fists punching holes in the perma-crete and steel. Looking strangely out of place, a gun was strapped over her shoulder.

"WOAH!" She dropped to her knees to lean back as the raging simian closed in on her. She got a lock tone from her weapon as the creature came into her kill zone even as it reached for the stolen weapon to fire back. The air crackled with electric currents and there was a sudden discharge of focused energy.

The corpse fell with a gaping hole in her chest. Jo felt a moment of sorrow that the death couldn't have been more humane. At least it was fast.

One to go. Jo refocused and attempted to contact her men. Two more teams were converging on her position but no answer came from the first responders. She guessed that Boji, the alpha, was the survivor. But where was she?

"Target sighted, coming out of the elevator shaft in Sector One. We're holding the line as the civilians evacuate. Assistance would be nice!"

"On our way." Jo said as she signaled to the teams that just joined her.

She heard the gunfire as she came up the stairs. Jo peeked out to see Boji giving the boys a moving target. Boji had a killer arm, throwing whatever she could rip off the walls, and an amazing capability to jump. She bounced everywhere, making holes to grip if none were readily available.

Jo fired and winged her with a shot. Boji recognized the new target and rounded toward Jo's vantage point at the stair well.

"Ready?" Jo looked behind her at the troops. "NOW!" They all flooded out of the door and opened fire on Boji. Boji was fast and she avoided most shots, getting closer and closer.

Jo fired on her again. Earning a solid hit this time. But Boji kept coming. Her chest smoldered around a gaping wound and she stumbled but still charged. Jo let the energy weapon drop to her side and pulled her sidearm. Continuing to empty clips into her, they brought her down. It was close enough to watch her eyes flutter closed and feel her last breath heave.

Some one would pay for this.

"Secure the area and continue the evacuation. I'm headed to Sector Four to see how these animals got out." Jo flicked the clip on the energy weapon and got it to recharging. It would take about five minutes. In the elevator down, she checked her sidearm and cleared the barrel before standing ready behind the doors.

They split open with a clunk and Jo could see the damage were the chimps had entered the elevator shaft. The whole area was trashed. It was quiet now that this level had been evacuated. There was an occasional flash as a live wire sparked overhead where panels had been ripped out. Emergency lighting lit the floor as Jo moved slowly forward leading with her firearm.

She entered Rawlings' lab. Almost immediately, she spotted a dead body in a lab coat. For one horrifying moment of relief, she hoped it was Rawlings, killed by his own victims. Jo felt the immediate sting of her conscience at the un-Christian thought. But it was worse, it was someone else and Jo felt the sting of that, too. This was some one whose life was in her hands. An innocent.

"Rawlings!" Jo cried. "I will find you!"

"It's too late." A voice rasped from deeper in the lab. "I was so close and now it's too late."

"You weren't close, you were never close. You falsified data, Rawlings. You brought this on yourself and now I'm going to bring you to justice for what you've done!"

"There is no justice. Only the law of the jungle." Rawlings came into sight. But something was off about him. About fifty pounds of muscle.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me you took a taste of your own medicine!"

And then he roared. Rawlings threw his head back and roared. He shook his head after as though he was trying to clear it. "I'm not the only one! Sneaking, thieving, liar! Wanted to watch me get fired. Gloating, arrogant prick!" Rawlings picked up a body next to him and heaved it at Jo. It hit the wall and thudded at her feet.

Zane.


	19. Chapter 19

"Damn it!" Jo checked his vitals to find his breathing was shallow and his pulse pounding a mile a minute. So was hers!

Rawlings was destroying his own lab. He pounded on desks until they shattered. He flung computers and chairs across the room, some of them impaling themselves on the wall. Jo watched him carefully as she tried to wake Zane.

"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events."

Jo's eyes snapped to Zane to see he was rousing.

"Are you okay? Rawlings said he did something to you."

Zane showed her his bleeding arm and touched a finger to the burn marks on his temples where the organic computer had shot data into his cerebral cortex. "He sure did. I didn't get the full dose but I got some." His eyes were having trouble focusing and he kept loosing his train of thought. Suddenly, he gripped his arm as the muscles seized. Jo gulped as she watched them flex and bulge.

"Zane? You need to get out of here!" Jo turned her attention back to the raging hulk of muscle that used to be a rather wimpy scientist.

Rawlings had armed himself with a very long pipe and he was headed this way.

"Rawlings, can you hear me?" Jo asked. Zane had a seizure on the floor next to her and she turned him on his side. "Rawlings, can you hear me?"

"Yes!" he answered very near her. She couldn't hold this position much longer.

"This isn't the way. You won't get a pass for what you've done, but we can make it easier on you. Put the weapon down and back away." Jo glanced at Zane to see the seizing had stopped and he was unconscious.

"NO! You… not… tell… me… I… tell… you! Tiny bitch!" Rawlings hefted the desk she'd been using for cover and threw it over his shoulder. Okay, obviously he was beginning to loose brain function.

Jo broke for the other side of the lab, hoping to lead Rawlings away from Zane, maybe lock him in the back room. It wouldn't hold for long but she could get to Zane and get him out of here.

She really moved, jumping over debris and racing around the room. Jo managed to get a few shots off and Rawlings tried to skewer her on the pipe. Jo melted to the floor and it flew over her head.

It got stuck in the wall and he couldn't pull it out. Jo crawled away army style as he struggled with it. If she couldn't be seen, maybe he'd forget about her for a moment while she got to a better position. As his brain function was decreasing, the additional mass weighed him down and made him cumbersome.

Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle and pulled her back. Rawlings held her in the air by her leg and pulled her sidearm out of her hands. Divested of weapons, she was dropped to the floor.

Zane appeared behind Rawlings with an improvised bludgeon. "Run, Jo!"

Rawlings jerked his head up in surprise and looked around for the source. But Zane was faster and, at this point, more intelligent. He side stepped and hit him again. Rawlings was very confused and no matter how much he turned, he couldn't find out what was happening.

Jo was up in a second and headed for the energy rifle she'd left on the floor by Zane. It was charged by now and she could take Rawlings down.

Jo flipped the clip back from 'recharge' to 'discharge' and turned the safety off.

"Zane!" Jo brought the rifle to bear on Rawlings. She saw Zane drop into cover and she inhaled for the shot. Rawlings spun and finally saw his attacker, he raised his fist to clobber Zane as he lay at the disadvantage. Jo fired and hit Rawling's arm socket. _Damn!_ She'd been aiming for his head. The weapon's motor whirred up as it prepared for the next shot.

Rawlings bellowed in pain and anger and turned on Jo. He was clomping toward her in slow determined strides. Jo was pretty sure he'd gained another twenty pounds of muscle. His face looked gaunt and his clothes were torn up. Jo could very clearly see Rawlings was having additional difficulty walking because of … well, let's just say _all_ of him was enjoying the fight. Considering how little of his brain was working at the moment, Jo was pretty aware of what he intended to do.

"Oh, HELL no." Jo stood up straight and pulled the trigger. The blast hit Rawlings close range full in the chest. He was knocked back a step.

Zane came charging around toward her and stood between her and Rawlings. He yelled at Rawlings and pushed Jo toward the exit behind him.

Jo elbowed Zane out of the way and aimed at Rawlings again, cranking up the dial to max output. Zane put his hand over hers on the gun and watched Rawlings take a second shot to his chest. Rawlings fell to the ground.


	20. Chapter 20

"Nice shot!" Zane smiled. He pulled her into him with a hand on her waist.

Hyped with adrenaline and breathless, Jo fought the urge to lean those few inches into Zane and kiss him. Instead, she made her way over to Rawlings to make sure he was dead.

Zane was becoming a problem. He fought her progress at first, still trying to stay between her and Rawlings but then he may have lost focus because he just put his hands on her. It was somewhat distracting for Jo but Zane was _very_ distracted.

"Zane, calm down." Jo chided him. She gripped his chin and brought his eyes up to meet hers. His eyes were fully dilated and unfocused. Jo could see a rapid pulse throbbing away at the bulging juglar vein before Zane closed the distance and kissed her.

It was brilliant. Jo felt the stress and fear melt away as she kissed him back. He was forceful and aggressive. His hands roved possessively over her and damned if Jo wasn't doing the same. She was amazed she could think at all but the unnatural feel of the changes to Zane's body made her worry as much as turned her on.

Zane was loosing control quickly. The massive amounts of testosterone his body was producing had benefited her when he'd been compelled to protect her from Rawlings. But now it was having a different effect. One that Jo was having a very hard time resisting.

Movement caught her limited attention and she turned to see Rawlings bring his arm up. Zane was burrowed deep in her neck and he didn't see Rawlings pointing her sidearm at his back.

Rawlings couldn't slip his huge finger through the guard to reach the trigger. But he could bend the guard back to squeeze it.

Jo swept her leg up to Zane's knee and pushed with all her might. Zane fell over and took her with him. Rawlings fired and it tore through Jo's leg as she fell.

And with that final shot at male territorialism, Rawlings was dead. His body convulsed and skin stretched to breaking ripped open over thick muscle. Zane, now a bit more aware, kicked the gun from Rawlings hand. Jo checked her leg to see the wound was a through-and-through, bleeding profusely. She took off her jacket and used it as a compress. Zane took off his shirt and did the same, putting more pressure on it than Jo could. She cried out in pain.

"Sorry, sorry." Zane apologized. He nuzzled his head into her chest as he kept the pressure up.

"How are you feeling?" Jo needed to distract herself. From both the pain and shirtless super-Zane.

"Badass." Zane smiled but it quickly fell. "Wrong." His head fell back to her neck, seeking comfort that she gave. His lips weren't bored.

Jo could see her troops running toward them down the hall. She held up a hand for them to stop and keep their distance. Zane would go super-territorial if he saw a few dozen men running up. One of her guys came forward with a tranquilizer gun. He dropped to a knee and loaded it.

"Zane." She brought his face up to look at her. "Zane, I need you to calm down, okay? You're going to sleep for a while."

Zane struggled with that but didn't fight her. Jo unwrapped her arms from around his neck, giving the shooter the best possible target. She pushed Zane off of her and he sat with his hands around her leg.

A dart appeared at his neck and he jumped in surprise. It took a while to take effect and they shot him with another. Zane slumped over Jo and slept.

A med team was at her side in an instant. They strapped Zane down and transferred Jo to a gurney. The painkillers had her asleep before they got to the Infirmary.


	21. Chapter 21

Zane was well on the road to recovery before Jo was. It was a minor gunshot wound but Zane had his system scrubbed, nanobots attacking the leftover bits of the genome treatment, and a full regimen of counteractive meds before Jo was even out of surgery. There was little they could do about the data imprinted on his brain.

He was pretty groggy when Jo woke to find him at her bedside. She was worried that might be some lingering effect of the protectiveness he'd felt due to Rawlings' treatment.

"Hey, Jo." Allison stood over her and smiled. She gave a knowing glace at Zane's snoozing form in the chair next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot. But fine, I guess." Jo shrugged. "Are you sure he should be released just yet. He's still acting funny."

"The neurological effect will still be present for the next two or three days but, largely, we were able to clean most of the contaminants out of his system. He's on meds to keep him calm and happy. And we have the NLWPS serenity beam on hand in case he should act up. He was fighting the restraints and he calmed down a lot as soon as we released him and let him be. He's perfectly coherent and his usual self. For the most part. There was some neural scaring where Rawlings tried to fry his brain with data: weapons, tactics, wartime video footage and reports. We can't be sure of what or how much he got in that small dose and it's likely that he'll suffer from PTSD as his brain assimilates. A lot of what was dumped in his brain was video footage of guerilla warfare from Vietnam."

"I feel like a human security blanket." Jo gestured to the dozing sentry.

"Then you're a human security blanket. He's getting over it, Jo, he just needs a little help up." Allison gave a soft smile. "It's not going to kill you." She turned and went to Carter who was also plastered with a smug, knowing smile. He gave her a little wave and a thumbs up.

_Great! Perfect. _Jo fumed. _Just perfect. _Now her own friends were plotting and scheming like they knew what was best for her. She shot a resentful glare at Zane as he slept next to her but the sight of his haggard face reminded her she wasn't the only one inconvenienced by recent events. Zane might be a different person when he woke. Maybe he was still in danger, the new pathways burned over important information or involuntary functions, like breathing or regulating his heartbeat. Memories gone.

Jo reached out to straighten his ruffled hair. A hand flew up to grab her wrist. Zane's eyes flew open and he looked surprised at his own reaction. Jo could see it was fringed with fear.

"Good morning." Jo said softly with a bit of cheer. He responded to the soothing tone and released her hand. "How you feeling, champ?"

Zane gave a half-hearted smile. "Alright. You?"

"I'm okay. I've been shot before, loads of times. This is only a flesh wound. I'll be home before supper." She gave a quick smile he gradually returned. He reached out and stroked her arm.

"I'm glad you're alright. I was going nuts when you were in surgery."

Jo felt a heat blossom in her chest and could tell she was blushing. She closed her eyes for a moment to combat the mush away, locking it securely in its cage. Then she felt Zane's finger brush some hair out of her face and the whole battle started fresh. Maybe it was best to keep her eyes open while he was around. That way she could see his assaults coming.

She looked up to see Zane giving his cockeyed smile. It was softer than it had been before, still burgeoning with confidence but… dimmed somehow. He was worried too.

Allison came back by in a little while with news of her release. Jo was giddy with relief. For a moment she had been terrified that she'd have to stay the night in the same room with Zane.

Then Allison handed her the Serenity beam and a clutch of paperwork.

"What's this?"

"Your release papers." Allison pressed a pen into Jo's hand. "And Zane's."

"What?" Jo had to whisper as he was, as ever, a few feet from her being checked over by a nurse.

"We're releasing Zane into your provisional custody until you can ascertain whether he is a threat to society or himself. Nobody can help him the way you can, Jo. He needs you right now. Besides, you're more effective at keeping him calm than the Serenity beam. His brain is still adapting to the new information and forcibly changing his brain chemistry to control him will offset the progress. We'll have a team on call for the next three days. If anything goes wrong, we'll be right there. We'll be monitoring his vitals night and day."

_Okay, why me? Why this dependance on me? Is it just because I was there? Why me?_

Zane didn't even ask permission as he just walked out of the Infirmary. He took it for granted that wherever Jo was going, he was going too. A company car took them both to Jo's house and Zane helped her into a wheelchair before waving farewell to the driver. With Zane's muscle and SASHA's direction, they managed to get Jo comfortably situated on the couch.

Then came the awkward pause of 'what do we do now?' Zane looked down at her and she could feel the temperature in the room rising.

"SASHA! Call of Duty: Medal of Honor, please."

"Would you like me to load a saved game?"

"No, two player would be fine. Start us matchmaking for a game of 'capture the flag'."

"You play COD?" Zane smiled and Jo was pleased to note it was back to full power. That was good, they both needed the distraction.

She gave a nonchalant wave as she accepted the controller. "Some old boyfriend got me interested in it. We got along fine until I started beating him at it. He was a sore loser." Zane held on to the controller until she met his eyes. He knew which boyfriend she was talking about.

"We'll see about that." His eyes were sharp with challenge.

They were at it for several hours as SASHA reminded them both when they needed to take meds and supplying them with junk food. They made a good team against other online players and competition escalated between them. Exhaustion plummeted the battle royale into tea-bagging comedy as they both rubbed burning eyes and laughed until they were in stitches.

But the minute the game was turned off, the tension was back in the room. Silence sharpened it to an edge. Jo started up a movie play list of musicals that averted the strain for conversation. Somewhere between 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'American in Paris' Jo nodded off.


	22. Chapter 22

When she woke, it was to the familiar cottonmouth of medicated sleep and an immediate need to visit the bathroom. She felt a bit stronger and gauged that she could make it on her own. Tossing the covers aside and dry swallowing a pain pill, she gingerly worked her legs to the floor.

Zane was sleeping on the floor. With a pillow and a blanket, he was curled up next to her. Jo could tell from the tangle of the blanket and the crease of his forehead that he'd had a rough night. She reached out and smoothed his hair until the line between his eyebrows vanished.

Angling down the narrow aisle afforded her between the couch and Zane, she gimped to the bathroom.

"SASHA, lights thirty percent, run hot water." The house didn't reply but the shower burst to life and the dim morning light brightened gradually. Taping a shower cap over her bandage, Jo checked over her minor scratches and bruises while she brushed her teeth until the steam began to fog the mirror.

The hot water was a blessing. It was sharp at first but that just helped her wake up a little. SASHA had kept the water pressure low so the tape wouldn't weaken as Jo soaked under the steady stream. She plunged her head under the fountain and let the water envelop her.

Strong hands came around her waist and pulled her out from under the faucet. Jo found herself leaning back against Zane as he tightened his arms around her.

"Zane?"

"I couldn't find you. You were gone." He spoke into her neck. His voice was raw and hoarse as though he'd spent his dreams screaming. "I looked for you and-You shouldn't be up on that leg. You could have woken me."

She almost smiled at his sudden switch to save his ego. Jo slid her hand up to pat his head as he bowed over her shoulder. "It's okay. I'm fine." She caressed his arms locked on her waist. They swayed in the shower stall half-asleep. He clung to her like a life raft as she favored one leg. She shushed and soothed him as best she could considering she was trying to balance as pain meds kicked in, naked in the shower. But that was Jo's job lately: human teddy bear.

Zane supported her, nearly pulling her up off her feet. It was hard to pretend Zane's ambush was a peep show when he was letting her know how much he needed her. He was terrified and that was something Zane would never fake. She was seeing the real thing, honest to God pure fear. She was afraid for him. So, of course she was euphorically relieved rather than annoyed as he began his ritual maneuver into second base. At least he felt well enough for that. But even this habit wasn't as suave as it should have been.

His fingers trailed lines up and down her stomach as he turned his head into hers. She made a fist in his hair and his hand drew one long slow line up to find its destination. His grip was a little less than gentle. She covered his hand and turned into his mouth. It was soft and deep. Every move was gentle and slow but desperate with the heady rise of passion. His tongue teased her lip and she let him in. They could only hold on as they slipped deeper and deeper into the moment, consumed in each other and blind to consequence.

Zane spun her to face him without breaking the kiss and she put her hands on his chest. He was still wearing yesterday's shirt and it was torn and dirty. It only took a little pressure to rip all the way down as she pulled him under the hot water. He smiled as he ducked out of the shirt and dropped the sodden fabric to the floor, their lips apart for only an instant. Her nails dragged across his back as his hands went to grip her ass. Jo smiled at the reaction that got. His abs tightened and his chest expanded like the posturing cavemen guys reverted to when they were with a girl they liked. 'Me man, you woman'; damn, that got her hot.

He felt her lips curl and his did too. He broke the kiss and started to plant a series of sensuous kisses and caresses on her lips as he smiled. The look in his eyes, the tenderness of his touch couldn't help but make her feel soft and beautiful. Jo didn't get that too often. Zane had a way of giving that to her without making her feel weak. And, oddly enough, that made her weak in the knees. No longer smiling, Jo tilted into him, arms around his neck to pull him into her.

He inhaled sharply and Jo felt her back meet the cool tile of the shower wall. His hand slid down the back of her bad leg, mindful of the bandage he cupped the back of her knee and brought it up. Head spinning now, Jo held on as he kissed her, pushing against her, wedging her against the wall. Pulse rising with the rush, the heat rose. He came at her from below, pressing her head against the wall as he took her mouth with his. One arm wrapped under her wounded leg, his fingers raced up her inner thigh to slide home. Jo's breath hitched and she was breathless with the intimate contact. With his lips and teeth at her neck and his elevated breath rushing in her ear, Jo rode wave after wave of pleasure. She gasped in surprise when he explored deeper. While she was still hovering this side of the edge, he jerked her away from the wall and carried her out of the bathroom to the nearest bed.

Surprised they made it this far, Jo smiled at the man on a mission as he eased her onto the guest bed. He trailed fingers and kisses down the length of her body as he withdrew. The soaked pants gave him some trouble and Jo took the time to admire, from the prickly dark mess of wet hair to the toned mass of torso, narrow hips, and muscular legs. Both dripping wet, they glided over each other as he returned. Jo's stomach clenched as she watched the look of triumph pass over Zane's face as he slid into her. Coupled with the sensation of it, it was too much... Or just enough. He kissed her while her eyes were closed.

"That's one." He smiled, his voice deep and ragged, and raked his hands into her wet hair to angle her head for another deep kiss.

Jo chuckled and beamed a bright smile up at him, unguarded. "Current standing record is five." Jo smiled at the pause that gave him. He was impressed and just a little taken back. She was reminded this was sort of his first time with her. While she knew quite a few intimate things about him, he was experiencing it all new.

Then he gave a slow smile that was one hundred percent Zane and he was once again truly himself. Little wonder she couldn't differentiate between the two. They were completely one and the same. "I can do better than that."

And, boy howdy, did he ever.


	23. Chapter 23

Jo woke in the early afternoon, lying in the sun pouring through the skylight. She arched and stretched like a cat. Cool sheets over warm skin.

"Found it." She heard Zane in the other room. He came around the corner and crawled up onto the bed. He wore damp jeans and a smile.

"What did you find?"

"Good morning." He gave her a quick peck that made her smile.

"Good morning." Jo returned as she watched him lay out a few supplies on the bed sheets.

"Our-uh- robust physical therapy this morning distracted us from changing your bandage."

Jo smiled. "Is that what SASHA called it? How did you even get past her? I don't believe she just let you into the bathroom while I was in the shower."

Zane grinned sheepishly and bobbed his head as he ripped open a sterile package. "I installed a back door to override her. She hates me but I think she liked it."

Jo grinned and flopped a pillow over her face. Her house had a crush. She reappeared momentarily to see Zane watching her as he medicated a gauze pad.

"You want to take off the old one or you want me to do it?" His voice was soft and Jo could tell he was eager to get it done. There were other things he wanted to do.

"I'll do it." Jo brought her leg up and jerked off the shower cap cover. The bandage under it was in desperate need of changing. She was considering how to get a grip on it when SASHA interrupted.

"Jo, might I suggest loosening the wrappings gradually as ripping it off may result in pulling on the stitches."

"Good point." Jo started the slow process of rolling off the bandage. She was of the school of thought that ripping it off was better in the long run. A lot of fear and pain but then a complete separation. But, as in life, there were exceptions to every rule. It came off faster than she thought.

Zane crouched over her leg and rolled on antiseptic. Jo watched his face as he focused on carefully tending the wound. He was determined to see it done well. Just like opening her up again after a series of worst improbable scenarios.

Her heart had been ripped open and she'd tried to patch it together as best she could. But her little patches had started to damage rather than heal. In the cover of darkness, her heart hidden away from prying eyes, infection and bitterness had taken root and grown. To complete the healing process, she had to open it up again, see how it looked in the light of day. To be open to the possibility of love even from the most unlikely place.

Zane taped the last edge and caressed her skin, placing a sensual kiss on her knee. "All better."

Jo held out her hand and he took it, cuddling up to her. She gave a contented sigh and nuzzled her head into his neck.

"How about you? Feeling okay?"

"Better than." He pulled her in tighter. "If I'd known all it would take to get here was getting half killed, I'd have done it before."

"You have!" She punched his arm. "Dumbass. And it wasn't just getting half killed. You got half killed trying to save me." She mockingly batted her eyes and fanned herself as the cliche damsel to her hero. Jo wasn't ready to say she couldn't have done it without him but she would admit, under pressure, that he'd helped.

He played a strand of her hair between his fingers. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?" He brushed it over her shoulder, grazing the skin. "What was I thinking?"

_What was I thinking? Zoe._

Jo lowered her eyes. Zane stilled.

He slid his fingers down her hair. He leaned over and kissed her softly. Too softly. "What's the matter?"

Jo's stomach dropped. She pulled away and wrapped the sheet around her. "This was a mistake. I already know this won't work long term. Let's not make more of this than it is, okay?"

"It didn't seem like that just now. Or on Founder's Day when you accepted the proposal from the other me." He looked away in confusion, there had to be a better way to put that.

"You don't understand. You already know enough, I'm not going to burden you with minor details." Jo sat on the edge of the bed trying to wrestle the sheet free without succumbing to the horrific wave of guilt and shame. Zane, of course, could smile as he sat on the other end of the sheet. His conscience was gallingly at ease.

"Here's a minor detail for you: didn't the other me believe in fate? Predetermination?"

"No. You believed that there are any number of solutions for the same problem." _And any number of ways for something nice to turn out horribly wrong._

"Exactly, so just because the we got it wrong the last time doesn't mean we will this time. But that's not the case with everything. Pi is pi is Pi. That never varies. The Laws of Physics can't be broken, per se, but they can be bent and moved around. Different but the same. I know you're religious, Jo. I've darkened a church door myself more than a few times. You have to see the hand of God in this. Either you've gotten a clean slate, or a second chance to try it again. And still this is where we ended up."

Jo stopped fighting with the sheet. She put her head in her hands. Jo just wished they could have done it right. Done it better than like this. At least she knew better, she still wasn't so sure about Zane.

"Was that whole part of your life such a waste? Bury and forget it. This time will be different. You can't even give us a shot? Because I'm interested. I'm not going to say I always was, but… that's gotta count for something."

"But what's the point? What will it accomplish?" She'd possibly ruined her friendship with Zoe, what else would she have to risk?

Zane chuckled. "Well, I asked myself that when I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. You have to figure out your own reasons. Maybe you have to leap to find them. OR you can just sit in your seat and let fear drive you. Now what do you want for breakfast?"

Jo rounded on him, inhaling to tear him a new one but he was walking out the door. Nobody walks away from her!

Dropping the annoying sheet, she stalked into the kitchen behind Zane.

"You can't say something like that to me and then just walk away." She crossed her arms so she didn't feel so damn vulnerable. "I am not afraid." She lost some steam when Zane turned to face her, the surprise on his face hit her gut and increased the tension in the room. Maybe she should have taken five seconds to grab a robe.

Despite what she thought the vulnerability made him realize what he was asking of her.

"I'm sorry." Zane broke the brittle silence. "I shouldn't have said that."

Jo was stunned. Did Zane just... apologize?

"Whatever you decide this is, I'm in. But I'm going to make it worthwhile." Zane took a few steps toward her. He framed her face and kissed her indignant mouth. Teasing, nipping, sucking; she softened and responded.

A/N: sorry the uploads have slowed down, I got a bit of stage fright when I recognized some of the names that have added story/author alerts. It's both nerve wracking and thrilling to realize that the authors that wrote all those fics I enjoyed so much is-hey, look at that- reading (and hopefully enjoying) my own fic. So, thanks! I'm a big fan of your work. :P n.n


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: suggested listening 'Lost in Thought' by Jon Hopkins

. . . .

Jo, alone finally… regretfully, was now faced with an unavoidable phone call. She'd procrastinated enough even after she'd managed to send Zane home. Twenty-four hours under constant watch was enough to determine that he was well enough to manage a night on his own. Even though his presence had kept her busy and gave her an excuse to put this off.

Every touch, every look was tainted by the elephant in the room. Jo could only take so much more. Zoë deserved better. She expected better of herself. And Zane… well, Jo was still unsure about his vaguely amoral attitude. Whenever she'd brought up the subject, he'd shrug and give monosyllabic dismissals. They'd definitely crossed a line and, for better or worse, Jo was just as sullied as him by their little tryst. She had to come clean. Now.

Jo squared her shoulders and had SASHA dial Zoë before she could change her mind again. But each excruciating ring had her second-guessing herself. With each tone, Jo came closer and closer to canceling the call. Zoë picked up on the third ring. Like most Eurekans, Zoë had the latest digitally integrated system possible. Send an email, get an alert by cellphone, of course; ring their number, connect via webcam on their computer. Jo was denied even the cowardly relief of a voicemail picking up.

"Jo?" Zoë's image popped up on the screen. She was sitting at her computer in her dorm room. She'd been using her webcam as a makeup mirror and she looked beautiful. And happy. Jo hated to change that.

"Zoë. Hey."

"Hey, back, stranger. Where have you been?" Zoë smiled and broke the reproachful tone.

"I've been busy. With work… and stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Zoë grinned and rested her head on her hand to listen to her best friend dish all the latest Eureka shenanigans.

_Band-Aid, Band-Aid, Band-Aid…_

"Just… I'm seeing someone. It's… well, it's—" Jo set her chin and took a breath in preparation to rip it off. "Zane. It's Zane. I've been seeing Zane."

Zoe smiled. "Yeah, he told me like weeks—" Zoë paused and her eyes grew huge. "You're sleeping with him, aren't you? _Good_ _job_, Jo! About damn time! You have a lot of catching up to do." Zoë applauded.

_What?_

"Uh, thanks?" _Catching up?_ How much did Zoë know? Surely, if Jack had made the decision to tell Zoë everything, he would have let Jo know. "Let me get this straight, you're not mad?"

Zoë returned with a bored expression. "No, Jo. Why would I be? Zane and I were never exclusive. You know I haven't been exclusive since Bobby Dunham in the second grade. You helped me keep Dad from finding out about Sean, Jackson, and Howie the night of my party. Don't you remember that? Musical chairs in a closet? You said you were jealous of how easy it was for me to date three or four guys when you could hardly keep one."

Jack had said Zoë was 'just fine' but, apparently, he hadn't engaged in girl talk with his daughter leaving Jo to navigate this minefield.

"Oh, right. Of course." _What the hell was going on?_ Jo had to adapt and fast as Zoë's keen eyes probed. If anyone could see Jo was hiding something, it would be Zoë.

"You must really like him." Zoë smiled. "I have to admit I was bummed when he told me he was interested in you. Not to mention a little worried for him. But I'm not going to get in the way of two of my best friends getting some happy together. Especially when it's been a really, really long time since Old Man Taggart and his one dropped ball in the sewers of my house."

Jo tried to calm her face. Of course, Zoë would know things about Jo's life that she didn't know after the time switch… even if she did _not_ want to know.

"Wait. _He_ told you?"

Zoë gave a smartass smirk. "Who, Taggart?"

_Ew._

"No, Zane."

"Yeah, he told me. Not that he was very interested in me in the first place. For all the song and dance, he's not very liberated from puritanical morality and monogamy. He's old fashioned about age differences, too. I can drive, smoke, and even drink in some states but I can't date Zane Donovan. " Zoë rolled her eyes. "You know, he's a better guy than you and half of Eureka give him credit for. You shouldn't believe everything Mansfield tells you."

Jo was still trying to wrap her head around this new turn of events.

"I'm kinda surprised, though. How'd it finally happen?"

This Jo knew how to handle. "Zane was exposed to an experiment and the side-effects… well, we both got hurt and really had to lean on each other."

Zoe grinned. "Yes. Zane likes his leaning." Jo gave Zoë a frightened look. "Relax, I never went there. But, seriously, you're both alright?"

"Yeah, I got shot and Zane… Zane's _different_. He's… " Jo wasn't sure how much she should say on an unsecured line or if Zane would want anyone to know… like _Mansfield…_ Mansfield would definitely love to turn Zane into a more profitable resource. Especially against his will. Jo had some work to do. Her mind tumbled over this new problem until Zoë interrupted her.

"I'll get the medical records from Allison, she owes me one. Jo, are you sure you are alright? You and my dad—"

"Zoë, Charles is here!" Jo could hear someone calling from the hallway in Zoë's dorm.

"Listen, I got to go, Jo, but take care of yourself. And Zane. You both mean a lot to me."

"Zoë! Thanks, and I miss you." Truer words had never been spoken.

Zoë smiled cockily. "Of course, you do. Miss you too, babe." And with that, the most painful, and strange, conversation Jo had ever expected to have was over.

"Holy _shit!_" Jo held her head and her stomach as both rebelled on her. Her heart was pounding with relief, her hands were shaking with adrenaline at how close she'd come to giving the game away to Zoë. Gradually, she recognized the chief among her reactions floating to the top.

A slow smile eased over her face. Zane had closed his little black book _weeks_ ago to devote himself entirely to the single-minded pursuit of Josephina Lupo. _That_ was why he'd become so attached to her. _That_ was why he'd been at her side when she woke in the Infirmary. And _that_ was why, even now, Jo could hear the rumbling of a motorcycle pulling into her driveway.

Jo didn't budge from the couch as SASHA opened the front door for Zane. He sauntered in and gave a million dollar smile to Jo's archly curious look as he plopped into the matching sofa.

"Please, make yourself at home." Jo's sarcastic remark made her own smirk all the more triumphant. How long had he been able to stay away? _Not very long at all._

"Don't mind if I do." Zane slouched deeper and matched her imperial glare. Icily, heatedly, they stared each other down. "I just couldn't bear the pitiful thought of you here all alone. You should think about getting a cat." He stretched out confidently over most of the love seat.

"Cats are for people who don't have boyfriends." Jo smiled coyly, waiting for the blow of realization to land. Zane would immediately backpedal and make some non-committal bluster before bolting. She'd seen how he reacted to the uncomfortable apprehension of a serious relationship before. He deserved that bucket of cold water for not coming clean about where he stood with Zoe.

Trust Zane to throw her off balance. He didn't even blink those sparkling blue eyes. He didn't leer, smirk, or flash his trademark roguish grin. With only a warm curl of his lips and a focused gaze, Zane turned the tables on her.

Jo realized she'd played perfectly into his hands._ Check mate._ And even as she inhaled sharply, Jo recognized the heat blossoming through her wasn't anger at being so easily maneuvered, but maybe a little taste of something she thought she'd lost forever.

Not for the first time, she'd been so wrong about him. Across from her sat a brilliant man who stood up for the defenseless, who constantly pissed into the wind of popular opinion because he felt it was the right thing to do. Regardless of how badly he was outnumbered or how powerful those might be. And, from where Jo was sitting, it was becoming apparent that's where Jo needed to be. She'd already gone against Mansfield once and earned herself a nice hole. Maybe it was time to do a little more digging.

Jo smiled at Zane and gestured him closer with a bob of her head. He grinned and moved to comply. In one motion, he stretched out on the couch and pulled her into his arms. Cradled against his chest, Jo watched their hands dance around each other. He reached out at her caress and steepled their fingers. Slowly, together they slid into each other and came to rest on Jo's stomach. The tenor of their relationship had just changed. Holding hands, they'd gone from lustful abandon to professing a sincere affection to the other.

"Zane?" Jo laid her head back on Zane's shoulder.

"Yes, Jo?" He turned into her and kissed her cheek.

"How much has Mansfield padded your criminal record?"

Zane chuckled with surprise. "Some. Not too much I can't handle, not too little enough to insult me."

Jo turned a little to look at him. "You're _proud_ of being punished for things you didn't do?"

Zane smiled. "The General has made a bigger enemy out of me than I could have made of myself. He demonizes me because he's afraid, if not of me personally than whatever he perceives me to represent. I only have to do a little to agitate him while he puts his career and reputation at risk to control me."

Jo blinked. "They must have put a good chunk of '_The Art of War'_ in your head. That is so..." Jo struggled for a word she could say with some self-respect. At a loss, she opted for action instead.

Jo licked her lips and closed the distance. Stopping just short of contact, she baited him with a curl of her lips and hot breath between them. He moved in and she retreated. With a smile in her steely eye, she stilled him into submission to her control. Again, she advanced, closing the distance and pulling away at the last instant. His arms tightened around her and his whole body tensed as she teased him. Over his lips, brushing his cheek where stubble prickled against her own sending tingles of pleasure down through her body. She grazed his ear, her light breath a fire passing through her parted lips to the sensitive skin leaving a trail of chills down to his neck where she finally pressed a lingering soft kiss.

Zane's eyes were closed when her lips turned back to his but that didn't stop him from finding them. With an arm around her neck, he prevented her escape until he'd hungrily taken his fill. Tongues met like molten drops merging, fingers entwined, the hot palm of his hand radiated heat through her shirt as he roamed from hip to ribs. She rose into his touch, turning into him she combed her fingers into his hair.

It felt like hours. It felt like only a second. However long it took, Jo was content she'd clearly communicated her point when they pulled apart_. Which was?_

Inhaling combined breath, they remained on the burning edge even as they stilled. With their heads buried into each other, their breathing slowed and lengthened in another moment of communicative silence. When they spoke again, it was with drowsy whispers.

"Why didn't you tell me about Zoe?"

Jo felt his lips curl against her cheek. "You've been pushing me away. Keeping me at arm's length. If you needed a reason to do that, I wasn't going to take it from you. I knew you'd talk to Zoe when you were ready to face her. To face us."

She fought it at first, the slow smile that crawled over her face into a grin. But the chains broke on that little cage she kept all her mushy feelings locked up in. It was like using your hands to divert the flow a tsunami. It was beautiful. The tide of joy swept away the mire and stagnation of secret pain and bitterness. All that was left was a clean and verdant world full of possibilities.

Still grinning, she flipped over to face him and he gave a puzzled smile. "What?"

"Nothing." Jo met his lips with a tauntingly light touch. With a smirk she straddled him and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"I really _love_ these little talks of ours." Zane smiled as he ran his hands up her thighs. Jo grinned and returned to tormenting him.

Zane easily toppled them to the floor, reversing their positions to return the favor.

"Ow!" Jo laughed. "That hurt!" Her believability was compromised by a laugh.

"Sorry, babe. There. Better, Jo-Jo?"

"Getting there. Come here."

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am."

Maybe there was still a little 'lustful abandon' left between them.

. . . .

A/N: finally got internet and this stuff written up... AND my computer starts making funny noises and freezing up. x.x oh, joy.


	25. Chapter 25

Without even realizing it, a year passed.

One day at a time, they'd progressed forward as best they could until new habits and routines established themselves. Zane's life was a circuit of testing and analyzing for a while. Then came the therapists and psychoanalysts. Nothing could lessen the frequency of his nightmares. The information stuffed into his brain past his cerebral cortex festered in his psyche. Slowly it unspooled from its compression and no one knew exactly how long that would take. No one knew exactly how much information Zane had received. In a computer, the files were sorted chronologically, alphabetically. But Zane's brain, so carefully guarded his whole life, had been unable to categorize the data as it had been shot into his mind.

But the nightmares weren't the only reason Zane had trouble sleeping at night. His survival, and some would say success of Rawlings' experiment drew attention. Interest reignighted, doubled, and continued to grow. The only thing Zane could do was take over the project. Allison agreed the reopening of the research needed someone gravely aware of its potential for disaster. She was eventually able to bring Fargo around to that conclusion as well.

Zane was determined to make every advance and discovery so that he had full rights and control over how the program was ultimately used. Or, to Zane's ends, not used. Of course, he did have one use in mind: complete reversal of his condition. And this became his first priority over _everything_ else. Even, contradictorily, his own health.

Most nights he slept in his office.

During one of their regular arguments on the subject, Jo rationalized away his need for his apartment. The next day, out of spite, Zane had his things packed away in storage... or left in Jo's living room much to her confused amusement. Without even seriously discussing it, Zane moved in. That day he was out of GD early, in time for dinner even if he was stone silent and lingering on the obstinate tail end of their argument out of principle. Jo's only reply to his cold shoulder was to give him a key. Obsolete in a smart home but symbolic enough. She suspected he'd been looking for a means to achieve this end for some time. Zane didn't want to be alone anymore. And when he _did, _he _shouldn't_.

Jo wasn't at all surprised that he'd forgotten their anniversary. She was surprised by her own confusion on when that might be: first night together or real date? First public kiss?

She was finding it easier to differentiate between the two timelines but this was difficult. So she made the very adult, very boring, decision to discuss it with Zane. He'd been shocked into silence. A whole year since Rawlings' death.

"I still can't believe this happened to me."Zane stared off in one of his fugues. Jo noticed his blue shirt was wrinkled from a night on the cot. She wondered when it had last been washed. She'd like to burn it now.

Zane hadn't been as careful of his appearance as he had been in the past. If it wasn't for Jo's constant insistence, he'd never shave. He wouldn't notice he needed a haircut until it fell across his eyes.

Jo was wrong about that. The next week he started wearing a bandana.

Together they made plans to celebrate their relationship. Zane, alone, made plans to commemorate the changes Rawlings had affected on his life. He got a tattoo. A badass commando ape with a gun in memory of Boji and the others. Soon there were others and Zane had a new obsession. And after the ink came the metal.

This was a good thing for him. It reestablished a sense of control over his own body. It was a release valve and the first signs of acceptance. Jo came to love and appreciate them as he did. She got one herself, not that anybody but Zane would ever know about it. Zane loved her little butterfly made of handguns and handcuffs.

He really turned a corner then.

Zane found as many alternate uses for Rawlings' work as he could and disbanded the project. Grace was able to integrate the organic computer and lazer into her Alzheimer's research. He chopped away at the lab until everything and everyone had been redirected and reassigned. The research was locked up in the vault as a dead end.

He went back to his first love: physics and computers. And not long after that was the return of his trouble-making antics. But even this had changed. He'd been given a cause other than his own entertainment for his one man rebellion.

A wide spread trend of philanthropy swept through major corporations. Small amounts that were trivial bites to the behemoths but collectively became a multimillion dollar campaign to assist veterans. Of course the companies took responsibility for the revolutionary generous collaboration even if they were privately bewildered. But Mansfield was not convinced.

Either by sympathy or conspiracy, Zane had more supporters. Doctors and lab techs and janitorial engineers could all vouch for every second of Zane's last few weeks. Jo wasn't sure how much of it was perjury but she was pretty sure the Fight Club cover her Marines were spouting was God's honest truth.

Mansfield never had any proof to back up his suspicions. Jo made sure Mansfield knew she was watching him and curious about the intensity of his interest in Zane Donovan. With a whole town ready to protect Zane from being Mansfield's favorite whipping post any longer, Mansfield had no choice but to withdraw. An intermediary was appointed and Eureka gained more autonomy. Things quieted down and Jo could relax.

Zane was doing better than ever and she had someone she could trust at her back in the lab and in the many crises that arose. Her men stood a little straighter when Zane was in the room.

Then he got baby fever.

It was strange. Jo felt like she should have been the one to start that up once things stabilized and she felt secure enough to plan for a family. But here again was Rawling's influence.

By bypassing the more evolved learning centers of the brain, Rawlings had activated a long dormant part of the human cortex. One that was involved with the selection of possible mates to ensure the production of offspring. Super-Zane discovered a new power. Fertility experts had an interesting time testing his super-sniffer. But even that additional assistance couldn't help Zane and Jo with their little quest.

Tension came to a head when Zane suggested she go in for a full medical evaluation.

Sure enough, he was on the money. Jo was diagnosed with the same strain of cancer as her mother. Fast moving and silent, it had crept up on her in much the same way. Baby plans were put on hold.

Being Eureka, Jo had access to the most cutting edge research in the fight on cancer. And the latest data.

Jo wasn't the only one faced with bad news. The percentage of people diagnosed with terminal cancer went up 400% that month, another 300% the next. Even Jack knew there was something else at work.

As Zane and Carter led the investigation and later assault on the pharmaceutical company that had bastardized some of Eureka's on development of a cure, Jo discovered she wasn't responding to treatment. She knew there was no hope for her when she felt no fear at the news, just a peaceful calm. Zane wouldn't take it well but the only thing she wished for herself was that she'd been able to cradle a tiny piece of Zane and herself in her arms. She wished she could have given him that.

She could tell that Allison had told him when he entered her room with a brave face.

"I guess I'll have to learn how to do this without you, Jo Jo." And it was the same calm heartbreak she saw in his eyes that broke her. She punched his shoulder, hating that nasty blue shirt he still had, as tears poured down her face. She wanted to rip it to shreds and disintegrate it, blow the ashes sky high and scatter them into a strong solar wind. She abhorred that damn blue shirt.

"No, Zane. Don't. You. Dare." Jo sobbed, clutching the blue shirt. "You fucking bastard, don't you dare give up."

"What am I supposed to do, Josephina?" Zane yelled back with tears in his eyes.

"YOU run security for GD. I've already talked to Fargo. YOU look out for Jack and the others. He'll get himself killed without you and this place will fall apart without him. YOU have to do that for ME. Do you understand me?"

Zane just nodded and picked her up off the bed. Curled up together in a chair in a dark corner of their bedroom, they rocked each other for as long as it took for the tears to dry.

Zane wept alone when Jo realized she was watching from somewhere else.

"I won't be able to respect myself if I can't make it work." Tears fell on the hated blue shirt. "But give me six months, Jo Jo. Wait for me for six months."

"I'll wait forever." But Zane couldn't hear her where she was. _Where am I?_

It was dark but warm. Disoriented, Jo rubbed her eyes and knocked a visor off her face. Surprise hit her when she recognized it as Beverly's VR therapy unit.

"What?" Jo scrambled for her cellphone to check the date._ July?_ _2011?_ But even SASHA confirmed the date for her.

Jo tottered unsteadily to her feet, dizzy and dehydrated she almost blacked out. She hit the light as her vision returned and she wandered around her home. So real and vivid had the VR been that even the photos on the wall were no longer familiar to her. Instead of Jack and Allison's wedding where Jo had performed the ceremony, the pictures of her father and brothers still stood. Instead of a coffee pot and a tea kettle on the kitchen counter, there was only the tea kettle. Worse than being confused, Jo felt bereft. It was almost as if the time change had happened all over again.

"SASHA, call Zane!" Jo continued her search for some sign of him as the call dialed out.

"We're sorry. But they number you have dialed is out of range. Please try again."

"Try it again."

"We're sorry. But they number you have dialed is out of range. Please try again."

"Jo you are behaving irrationally. Would you like me to call Dr. Blake?"

"No!" Jo realized she was crying. "I just had a bad dream. I want Zane."

"Mr. Donovan left this morning for McMurdo, Antarctica. You were quite distressed when you returned home. I had to learn the news from SARAH."

Jo was stunned into silence. Yes, she remembered now. Zane had called her into his lab and he'd been wearing the same blue shirt he'd left in the day before. That's why it had bled into the VR session. Everything Zane had said in that blue shirt he'd said to her this morning.

_"I still can't believe this happened to me. I have to learn how to do this without you. I won't respect myself if I can't make it work. But give me six months, Jo Jo. Wait for me for six months."_

Jo heaved a broken sigh. She already knew she'd wait. She already knew she wouldn't be sitting on her ass, either. And she already knew she was _definitely_ going to destroy that blue shirt when she saw it again. Even if Zane was wearing it.

A/N: another long chapter, but I'm hoping to close out this story in only two or three more chapters /fingerscrossed My computer did indeed bite the big one but I've got friends with connections so the hard drive was replaced for cheap with in a week. So 'yay, I've got a computer and the internet!' but no music, no photoshop, no microsoft office... youch. this chapter was difficult to write both technically and emotionally. we'll see how it stands up to peer review. Happy reading! ...wait... oh, crap...


End file.
